[1][2] Bae started playing badminton at aged 10, and first gained international attention in 2006 when she reached the semifinals in the women's singles and won the gold medal as a member of the South Korean mixed team at the BWF World Junior Championships.

[4] In 2012, she competed at the London Summer Olympics in the women's singles event, and was defeated by Wang Yihan in the round of 16.

[5] In 2013, she won the Korea Masters tournament after beating her team-mate Sung Ji-hyun with the score 21–19, 15–21, 21–9.

[6] In 2016, she competed at the Rio Summer Olympics and was defeated in the last 16 by eventual bronze medallist Nozomi Okuhara.

[7][8] Bae was one of four Korean players who announced that they would be retiring from the national team at the end of the tournament.