[1] Born in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea, Lee studied piano for much of her youth, without giving much thought to becoming an actress.

[2] After finding work as a model, she began to be offered roles in various TV dramas, including Start and KAIST.

Her film debut came in 1999, when she played the younger sister in Park Chong-wan's award-winning feature Rainbow Trout.

[4][6] "I'm called a new generation star, but I don't want to be the kind of person who achieves instant fame and then is quickly forgotten.

[clarification needed] She left a suicide note scrawled in blood, in which she wrote, "Mom, I am sorry and I love you."