[3] She appeared in several commercials and landed her first leading role in the daily soap opera Bizarre Bunch.

[4] Her breakthrough came in the comedy film 200 Pounds Beauty, where she played an overweight girl who undergoes a cosmetic surgery makeover to become a pop sensation.

[5][6] Kim returned to acting three years later, starring alongside Hwang Jung-min in the romantic comedy The Accidental Couple.

[8] The same year, she was cast in the medical drama Sign by Kim Eun-hee, playing a forensic scientist.

[13] She returned to TV in the legal drama Punch, where she received positive reviews for her portrayal of a prosecutor.