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The One The Woman actress shocked fans late last year when she married a non-celebrity office worker just a year after her split with actor Yoon Kye-sang
Lee started in beauty pageants – becoming Korea’s first Miss Grand Slam – before musicals, film and TV, and she also plays the traditional gayageum
Hanh Vu Published: 12:47pm, 15 Feb, 2022
K-drama star Honey Lee has wowed fans since her days as Miss Korea. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
Lee Hanee, better known as the award-winning Korean actress Honey Lee, is set to take a break from filming this year after announcing that she is pregnant with her first child. The happy news came just months after fans were wowed by her shock wedding to an office worker at the end of last year.
Lee is clearly a master of keeping her private life just that, but how well do you know the multi-hyphenate talent?
She started in beauty pageants
Lee was crowned Miss Korea in 2006 before wowing the international audience and her fans at the prestigious Miss Universe contest in 2007 with her unconventional beauty, can-do attitude and confidence. She finished as the third runner-up in the competition, but was later named the first Korean beauty to win the Miss Grand Slam title.
Leveraging her overwhelming fame and media attention, Lee set foot into the alluring but overly competitive K-biz as a musician and actress, and steadily proved that she is not only charming, but also brilliantly talented.
Honey Lee has announced that she is expecting her first child. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
She got her big break in musicals
Following her success in beauty pageants, Lee took her first acting roles in the musicals Legally Blonde, Polaroid and Chicago. After that, she was cast for supporting roles in television shows such as The Partner and Pasta, launching her career further as an actress.
She had to battle strict beauty standards
At the beginning, Lee struggled to find her place in the Korean entertainment industry, as she told YouTube series MMTG last year.
As far back as her pageant days, Lee said that she had to battle against strict standards for femininity with the ubiquitous portrayals of vulnerable, pale-skinned and demure female characters. Lee, on the contrary, stood out with her dimples, more muscular build and confident personality – aspects that have become more accepted over time.
Honey Lee. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
She’s won plenty of awards
Nevertheless, Lee persevered in the face of criticism and challenges, continuing to uphold her values and working diligently in a diverse range of projects. Consequently, she started to receive more recognition for her talent, winning her first award as the best new actress at the MBC Drama Awards in 2011, top excellence award for an actress at the Korea Drama Awards in 2017, and the rookie award at KBS Entertainment Awards in 2018, among many others.
Honey Lee in One The Woman. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
For her latest adventure playing dual roles in One The Woman, the 2021 SBS television series, Lee won the top excellence award for an actress in a miniseries romance/comedy drama at the SBS Drama Awards.
Honey Lee in traditional Korean dress playing the gayageum. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
She’s a professional musician – and more
In addition to acting, Lee is also a skilful and gifted musician, playing the gayageum, a traditional Korean plucked zither. Being the daughter of gayageum master Dr. Moon Jae-sook, Lee is a professional gayageum player and has performed at various high-profile events, including the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
She got her bachelors and masters degrees in traditional Korean music from the world-renowned Seoul University. It was also at Seoul University that Lee befriended A-list actress Kim Tae-hee who supported Lee tremendously to start her career in the entertainment industry.
Honey Lee has seen a change in Korean beauty standards for women. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
Apart from her impressive career, Lee is also an inspiring person. She became a vegetarian for many years, but has since resumed eating meat, according to the Kdrama Stars website. She is also adventurous and excels at various sports including scuba diving and martial arts.
Honey Lee poses for a post on social media. Photo: @honey_lee32/Instagram
She’s starting a family
While Lee remains largely private about her personal life, she recently excited her fans with the announcement that she is expecting her first baby, due in June.
After breaking up with her actor boyfriend of seven years, Yoon Kye-sang, in 2020, Lee surprised fans when she got married last December. Her husband is a non-showbiz office worker whom she met through a friend and the pair wed in a small and private ceremony.
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