Lee Yoo-mi: The Life Story Behind Squid Game's Breakout Star

Lee Yoo-mi spent years being almost famous. She acted in small roles, she worked hard, and most people did not know her name. Then she appeared in Squid Game for only a few episodes, and the whole world learned who she was. That is the kind of story that sounds like luck, but it is not luck at all. It is the story of an actress who kept working when no one was watching, so that when the big chance came, she was ready for it.

She was born on 18 July 1994 in South Korea, and she began acting as a teenager in the late 2000s. She took small parts in television and film, and she learned the job slowly. She was not a child star, and she was not an overnight success. She was a working actress, and she spent more than a decade in roles that most viewers would not remember. She could have given up many times. She did not, and that is why her story matters.

In 2021, Squid Game became the biggest show in the world, and Lee Yoo-mi played Ji-yeong, a young woman in the deadly game who forms a deep friendship with another player. She was only in a few episodes, but her performance stayed with viewers. A year later, she won an Emmy Award for that role, becoming the first Korean actress to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. It was a historic moment, and it came after years of quiet work. This is how it happened.

A Teenager Starting Out in Small Roles

Lee Yoo-mi was born in 1994, and she grew up in South Korea at a time when television and film were becoming more popular around the world. She started acting as a teenager, taking on small roles in dramas and films. These were not the kind of roles that make a person famous. They were the kind of roles that teach a person how to act. She played students, friends, and background characters, and she learned how a set works, how to work with a camera, and how to make a small part feel real.

A young actor in small roles lives a hard life. The work is not steady, the pay is not high, and the auditions are many. She had to go to audition after audition, and most of the time she did not get the part. She had to keep believing in herself when the phone did not ring, and she had to keep practising when no one was watching. That takes a strong mind, and Lee Yoo-mi had one. She kept going, year after year, even when the big break did not come.

She also had to support herself while she waited. Like many young actors, she did other work to pay her bills, and she balanced that work with auditions and filming. It was not a glamorous life. It was a life of waiting, hoping, and working hard in the background. But she was learning all the time, and each small role taught her something new about acting. She learned how to cry on camera, how to be funny, how to be serious, and how to make a character feel like a real person in only a few minutes of screen time.

The other thing she learned was patience. She was in her early twenties, and many of her peers were already becoming famous. She was still playing small parts, and it would have been easy to feel left behind. She did not let that feeling stop her. She kept working, she kept auditioning, and she trusted that her time would come. That trust is one of the most important parts of her story, because without it, she would have quit long before Squid Game.

Ten Years of Quiet Work Before Anyone Noticed

For more than a decade, Lee Yoo-mi worked in small roles in television and film. She appeared in dramas and movies, and she played characters who were often on the edge of the story. She was the friend, the classmate, the young woman in the background. These roles do not win awards, and they do not make headlines, but they are the foundation of an acting career. She was building that foundation, one role at a time.

During these years, she also began to take on more interesting parts in independent films. Independent films are made with small budgets, but they often have brave stories and strong characters. Lee Yoo-mi appeared in films that let her show more of her talent, and she began to get noticed by people in the film world. She was not famous, but she was respected by the directors and writers who worked with her. They knew she was good, even if the public did not know her yet.

One of her most important early film roles came in Young Adult Matters, a film released in 2021, where she played a young woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. The film was serious and honest, and her performance was praised at film festivals. It showed that she could carry a film, and that she could play a character with deep emotions and difficult choices. It was a sign of what was to come, even though most viewers had not seen the film.

She also kept appearing in television dramas, taking on supporting roles that let her show different sides of herself. She played young women who were tough, funny, sad, and brave, and she made each one feel real. She was learning how to be a versatile actress, and she was waiting for a role that would let the whole world see what she could do. That role was coming, and it would change her life in a way she could not have imagined. She also began to get noticed by casting directors who remembered her from small parts, and they started calling her back for bigger auditions, which is how a working actress slowly climbs toward a breakthrough.

Squid Game and a Few Episodes That Changed Everything

In 2021, Squid Game was released on Netflix, and it became a global phenomenon. The drama told the story of people in debt who play children’s games for a huge prize, and the losers die. It was violent, shocking, and deeply human, and it was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Lee Yoo-mi played Ji-yeong, known as Player 240, a young woman who joins the game and forms a close bond with another player, Sae-byeok.

Ji-yeong was only in a few episodes, but her story was one of the most emotional parts of the drama. She was a young woman who had been in prison, who had lost her family, and who had little hope left. In the game, she finds a friend in Sae-byeok, and the two women share a quiet, honest conversation about their lives. In one of the most famous scenes of the drama, Ji-yeong sacrifices herself so that Sae-byeok can go on. It was a heartbreaking moment, and Lee Yoo-mi played it with a calm, gentle strength that stayed with viewers.

The scene worked because Lee Yoo-mi made Ji-yeong feel like a real person, not just a character in a game. She showed the sadness, the humour, and the warmth of a young woman who had been hurt by life but had not lost her kindness. Viewers around the world talked about her, and they wanted to know who this actress was. She had been working for more than a decade, and suddenly, in a few episodes, the whole world knew her name.

Squid Game changed Korean drama forever, and it changed Lee Yoo-mi’s life too. She went from being an unknown actress to being a global star in a matter of weeks. She was invited to events, interviewed by the press, and followed by fans around the world. It was a sudden change, and it was overwhelming, but she handled it with the same calm that she had shown in her acting. She had waited a long time for this moment, and she was ready for it.

An Emmy Win and a Place in History

In 2022, Lee Yoo-mi won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Ji-yeong in Squid Game. It was a historic win, because she became the first Korean actress to win a Primetime Emmy Award for acting. The Emmy Awards are one of the most important honours in television, and winning one is a dream for actors around the world. She won it for a role that lasted only a few episodes, and that made the win even more remarkable.

The win mattered for more than just her career. It mattered for Korean drama, because it showed that Korean actors could be recognised at the highest level in the world. Squid Game had already won many awards, and Lee Yoo-mi’s Emmy was another sign that Korean stories were being seen and loved everywhere. She was proud of the win, and she was humble about it too. She thanked the people who had worked with her, and she said that she was grateful for the chance to play Ji-yeong.

Winning an Emmy also changed how the industry saw her. She was no longer an unknown actress who had been lucky. She was an award-winning actress, and directors wanted to work with her. She began to receive offers for leading roles, and she began to choose projects that would let her show more of her talent. The Emmy was not just a prize. It was a door, and it opened to a new chapter in her career.

She also became a symbol of hope for other actors who had worked for years without recognition. Her story showed that a small role can lead to a big award, and that patience can pay off in a way no one expects. She had spent more than a decade in small parts, and then, in a few episodes, she won one of the biggest awards in television. That is a story that gives hope to every actor who is still waiting for their chance.

All of Us Are Dead and the Zombie Hit

In 2022, Lee Yoo-mi appeared in All of Us Are Dead, a Netflix drama about high school students fighting to survive a zombie outbreak. She played Lee Na-yeon, a wealthy and selfish student who becomes one of the most hated characters in the drama. The role was very different from Ji-yeong. Na-yeon was cold, arrogant, and cruel, and viewers loved to hate her. Lee Yoo-mi played her with a sharp, confident energy, and she made the character feel real, even when she was doing terrible things.

The drama was a huge hit around the world, and it became one of the most watched Korean series on Netflix. Lee Yoo-mi’s performance was talked about a lot, because she played a character that audiences could not stand, and she did it so well that people remembered her. It was a brave choice, because playing a hated character can be risky. Viewers might think the actor is like the character, or they might not want to watch her again. But Lee Yoo-mi did it anyway, and it showed her range.

All of Us Are Dead also showed that she could handle a big, physical drama. The show had action, horror, and long scenes of running and fighting, and she had to work hard to keep up. She did it well, and the drama proved that she was not just a one-role actress. She could play a kind, sad woman in Squid Game, and a cold, selfish teenager in All of Us Are Dead, and both would feel real. That range is what makes a long career possible.

The drama also brought her new fans, including young viewers who had not seen Squid Game. She was becoming known to a new generation, and her name was spreading further around the world. She was no longer just the actress from Squid Game. She was an actress with many roles, and each one showed a different side of her talent.

Strong Girl Nam-soon and Leading a Drama

In 2023, Lee Yoo-mi took on her first leading role in a major drama with Strong Girl Nam-soon. She played Gang Nam-soon, a young woman with superhuman strength who returns to Korea to find her family and fight crime. The drama was a spin-off of the popular series Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, and it mixed action, comedy, and romance. Lee Yoo-mi was at the centre of it, and she had to carry the whole story on her shoulders.

The role was a big test. A lead actor is in almost every scene, and the success of the drama depends on her performance. She had to be funny, strong, and warm all at once, and she had to make the audience believe in a woman with superhuman powers. She did it with energy and charm, and the drama was popular with viewers who liked its light, fun tone. It was a different kind of role from Squid Game, and it showed that she could lead a drama, not just support one.

Strong Girl Nam-soon also showed her physical side. She had to do action scenes, fight scenes, and stunts, and she worked hard to make them look real. She was not just acting with her face. She was acting with her whole body, and she did it well. The drama was a success, and it confirmed that she had made the move from supporting actress to leading lady.

The role also mattered because it was her first time leading a big, popular drama. She had waited more than a decade for that chance, and she took it with both hands. She proved that she could carry a series, and that the audience would follow her. It was a new chapter in her career, and it opened the door to more leading roles in the future.

New Projects and a Career Still Rising

After Strong Girl Nam-soon, Lee Yoo-mi continued to take on new and interesting roles. In 2024, she appeared in Mr. Plankton, a romantic drama on Netflix, where she played a young woman on a journey with a man who has little time left to live. The drama was emotional and strange, and it let her show a softer, more romantic side. She played her character with warmth and honesty, and the drama was praised for its unusual story and its strong performances.

She has also continued to work in films, taking on roles that challenge her and show new sides of her talent. She is still young, and she is still growing as an actress. She has gone from small roles to an Emmy win to leading roles in major dramas, and she has done it in only a few years. The speed of that change is remarkable, but it is built on more than a decade of quiet work.

Today, Lee Yoo-mi is one of the most talked-about young actresses in Korea. She is known for her natural acting, her expressive face, and her ability to play many different kinds of characters. She has fans around the world, and she continues to choose roles that interest her. She is not in a hurry, and she is not trying to repeat the same success. She is building a career, one role at a time, and she is doing it with the same patience that carried her through the long years before Squid Game.

Her story is still being written, and that is part of its appeal. She has already lived through a remarkable rise, and she still has many years ahead of her. The question is not whether she will keep working, but what she will do next. Her fans are waiting, and the industry is waiting too. Whatever she chooses, she will bring the same honesty and hard work that have carried her this far.

The Audition Life and Learning to Wait

Before Squid Game, Lee Yoo-mi lived the life of a working actress who was always auditioning. She would hear about a role, prepare for it, go to the audition, and then wait for a phone call that often never came. That cycle repeated itself for years, and it taught her how to handle rejection without losing hope. Every actor knows rejection, but a supporting actress knows it more than most, because she is competing for small parts against hundreds of other talented people. Lee Yoo-mi kept going back, audition after audition, and she kept believing that one day the right role would find her.

She also learned how to prepare for an audition quickly. She would read the script, think about the character, and find a way to make the character feel real in only a few minutes. That skill is hard to learn, because an audition gives you very little time to show what you can do. She learned how to make a strong first impression, how to listen to the casting director, and how to adjust her performance on the spot. Those skills stayed with her, and they helped her when she auditioned for Squid Game, a role that would change her life.

The waiting also taught her how to live with uncertainty. She did not know when her next job would come, or how long she would have to wait between roles. She had to manage her money, her time, and her energy carefully, and she had to keep practising even when she was not working. That kind of life takes a strong mind, and she had one. She did not let the uncertainty make her bitter. She let it make her patient, and that patience became one of her greatest strengths as an actress.

When Squid Game finally came, she was ready for it in a way that a younger, less experienced actress would not have been. She had spent more than a decade learning how to act in small roles, how to handle rejection, and how to wait. She brought all of that experience to Ji-yeong, a character who has also waited, suffered, and kept going. The two stories fit together, and that is why the performance felt so real. She was not just playing a character. She was playing a life she understood.

My Take:

I think Lee Yoo-mi’s story is the most hopeful story in this whole group, because it is about a person who waited a very long time and then got her chance. She worked for more than ten years in small roles, and most people would have given up. I know I would have been tempted to give up. When you go to audition after audition and you do not get the part, when you see other people become famous and you are still unknown, it is hard to keep believing in yourself. She kept believing, and that belief is the heart of her story. It is not a story about talent alone. It is a story about not quitting.

What moves me most is how little screen time she needed to change her life. She was in Squid Game for only a few episodes, and she won an Emmy for it. That is almost unbelievable. Most actors work for years to win an award, and they do it with big, long roles. She did it with a small role that she played perfectly. It tells me that the size of a role does not matter as much as the truth of it. Ji-yeong felt real because Lee Yoo-mi made her real, and the audience felt it in only a few scenes. That is a rare gift, and it is one that cannot be taught. You either have it or you do not, and she has it.

I also think about the scene where Ji-yeong sacrifices herself for Sae-byeok. It is one of the most emotional scenes in Squid Game, and it works because Lee Yoo-mi plays it so quietly. She does not cry loudly, she does not make a big speech, and she does not try to be dramatic. She just talks to her friend, she smiles, and she makes a choice. That quietness is powerful, because it feels like real life. In real life, the bravest choices are often quiet ones. She understood that, and she played it that way. I think that scene is the reason she won the Emmy, and it is the reason people still talk about her.

Her win also matters to me because she was the first Korean actress to win a Primetime Emmy for acting. That is a historic moment, and it is easy to forget how big it is. For years, Korean actors were not recognised at the Emmy Awards, even when their work was excellent. Squid Game changed that, and Lee Yoo-mi was part of that change. She did not just win an award for herself. She won it for every Korean actor who had worked hard and been ignored. That is a heavy thing to carry, but she carried it with grace. She thanked her colleagues, she stayed humble, and she kept working. She did not let the award change who she is.

I admire the way she chose her next roles after Squid Game. She could have taken only kind, sympathetic roles, because that is what Ji-yeong was. Instead, she played Na-yeon in All of Us Are Dead, a character that audiences hated. That takes courage, because it is easy to be loved when you play a good person, and it is hard to be hated when you play a bad one. She did it anyway, and she did it well. That tells me she cares more about acting than about being liked. She wants to play real people, even when those people are unpleasant. That is the mark of a serious actress, not just a popular one.

Her move to a leading role in Strong Girl Nam-soon also impresses me. Leading a drama is a big responsibility, and she had never done it before. She had to be in almost every scene, she had to carry the story, and she had to make the audience laugh and care at the same time. She did it, and the drama was a success. It shows that she is not content to stay in small roles. She wants to grow, and she is willing to take on the pressure that comes with growth. That pressure is real, and it breaks some actors. She handled it, and she came out stronger.

I think about the years before Squid Game a lot, because those years are the real story. We all love the moment when a person becomes famous, but we forget the years when no one knew their name. Lee Yoo-mi spent those years working, learning, and waiting. She did other jobs to pay her bills, she went to auditions, and she kept practising. That is not a glamorous life, but it is an honest one. It is the life of most actors, and it is the life of most people who are trying to build something. Her story says that those years are not wasted. They are the years that make you ready, and when the chance comes, you will know what to do with it.

There is also a lesson in her story about being ready for luck. People say she was lucky to be in Squid Game, and in a way, she was. But luck only helps if you are ready for it. If she had not spent ten years learning how to act, she would not have been able to play Ji-yeong so well. The role would have gone to someone else, or it would not have worked. She was ready because she had worked, and that is why luck found her. I think that is true for many parts of life. We wait for a lucky break, but the break only matters if we have done the work to use it.

I also respect her calmness. She became famous very quickly, and quick fame can be dangerous. It can make a person arrogant, or it can make them anxious. She seems calm, and she seems focused on her work. She does not talk about herself all the time, and she does not try to stay in the news. She works, and then she goes home. That calmness is probably what helped her survive the long years before fame, and it is what will help her survive fame now. Calm is a strength, and she has it.

What I hope for her is that she keeps finding roles that surprise people. She has played a kind friend, a selfish teenager, a strong woman with superpowers, and a romantic lead. What else can she do? I hope she gets a role that is dark, complex, and completely different, because I think she is ready for it. I hope she works in films as well as television, and I hope she keeps choosing stories that matter to her. She has already proven that she can win awards and lead dramas. Now she can afford to take risks, and I think risks will make her even better.

When I finish her story, I feel hopeful. I feel hopeful for every person who is working hard and waiting for their chance. Lee Yoo-mi waited for more than ten years, and then her chance came in a few episodes of a drama that no one expected to become a global hit. That is a reminder that we cannot predict when our chance will come, or what it will look like. All we can do is keep working, keep learning, and be ready. She was ready, and that is why her story is so inspiring. It is a story about patience, about honesty, and about the power of a small role played well.

I keep thinking about the audition life she lived for so many years, because it is a life that most people never see. We see the famous actor on screen, but we do not see the years of auditions, rejections, and waiting that came before. Lee Yoo-mi lived that life for more than a decade, and she kept going back to audition after audition, even when the phone did not ring. That takes a kind of strength that is easy to admire and hard to copy. It takes a belief in yourself that does not depend on other people telling you that you are good. She had that belief, and she held onto it for years. I think that is the most impressive part of her story, even more than the Emmy win.

Another thing I think about is how she played Ji-yeong so quietly. In a drama full of shouting, violence, and big emotions, she played a character who spoke softly and made a quiet choice. That quietness is powerful, because it feels like real life. In real life, the bravest choices are often quiet ones. A person does not always make a speech before doing something brave. Sometimes they just do it, calmly, and with a small smile. Lee Yoo-mi understood that, and she played it that way. I think that is why the scene stayed with viewers. It was not loud, but it was true, and truth stays with people longer than noise.

Her Emmy win also makes me think about what it means to be first. She was the first Korean actress to win a Primetime Emmy for acting, and that is a historic achievement. Being first is a heavy thing to carry, because it means you are not just winning for yourself. You are winning for everyone who came before you and was ignored, and for everyone who will come after you and will be judged by your example. She carried that weight with grace. She thanked her colleagues, she stayed humble, and she kept working. She did not let the award make her arrogant, and she did not let it make her afraid. She just kept doing her job, and that is the best way to honour a historic win.

I also admire the courage it took to play Na-yeon in All of Us Are Dead. After Squid Game, she could have played only kind, sympathetic characters, because that is what audiences loved about Ji-yeong. Instead, she played a character that viewers hated, a selfish teenager who does terrible things. That takes courage, because it is easy to be loved when you play a good person, and it is hard to be hated when you play a bad one. She did it anyway, and she did it well. That tells me she cares more about acting than about being liked. She wants to play real people, even when those people are unpleasant, and that is the mark of a serious actress.

Her move to a leading role in Strong Girl Nam-soon also impresses me. Leading a drama is a big responsibility, and she had never done it before. She had to be in almost every scene, carry the story, and make the audience laugh and care at the same time. She did it, and the drama was a success. It shows that she is not content to stay in small roles. She wants to grow, and she is willing to take on the pressure that comes with growth. That pressure is real, and it breaks some actors. She handled it, and she came out stronger, with a new chapter in her career.

I think about the lesson of readiness in her story a lot. People say she was lucky to be in Squid Game, and in a way, she was. But luck only helps if you are ready for it. If she had not spent ten years learning how to act, she would not have been able to play Ji-yeong so well. The role would have gone to someone else, or it would not have worked. She was ready because she had worked, and that is why luck found her. I think that is true for many parts of life. We wait for a lucky break, but the break only matters if we have done the work to use it. She had done the work, and that is why her story is so powerful.

In the end, Lee Yoo-mi’s story is about not quitting. She did not quit when the roles were small, she did not quit when the phone did not ring, and she did not quit when other people became famous faster than she did. She kept working, she kept learning, and she kept waiting. Then her chance came, and she was ready for it. That is a story that gives hope to anyone who is still waiting for their chance, and it is a story I will remember for a long time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who did Lee Yoo-mi play in Squid Game?

Lee Yoo-mi played Ji-yeong, also known as Player 240, a young woman who befriends Sae-byeok during the deadly game. She appears in only a few episodes, but her story is one of the most emotional parts of the series.

Did Lee Yoo-mi win an Emmy Award?

Yes, in 2022 she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Squid Game. She was the first Korean actress to win a Primetime Emmy for acting.

What role did Lee Yoo-mi play in All of Us Are Dead?

She played Lee Na-yeon, a wealthy and selfish high school student during a zombie outbreak. The character was widely disliked by viewers, and Lee Yoo-mi’s performance was praised for making her feel real.

What is Strong Girl Nam-soon about?

Strong Girl Nam-soon is a 2023 drama where Lee Yoo-mi plays Gang Nam-soon, a young woman with superhuman strength who returns to Korea to find her family and fight crime. It was her first leading role in a major drama.

How long did Lee Yoo-mi act before Squid Game?

She acted for more than a decade in small roles in television and film before Squid Game in 2021. She began acting as a teenager in the late 2000s and worked steadily in supporting parts.

What film showed Lee Yoo-mi’s talent before she was famous?

Young Adult Matters, released in 2021, featured her as a young woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Her performance in the independent film was praised at film festivals and showed she could carry a serious story.