Nam enrolled in Sogang University as a Psychology major in 2014, and finished her degree in February 2020,[4] while she remained as an active actress in between her studies.

[5] Nam began her career as a child actress, and is best known for her roles in East of Eden (2008),[6] Queen Seondeok (2009),[7] Will It Snow for Christmas?

[11] She also appeared in the miniseries Girl Detective, Park Hae-sol,[12] teen drama To the Beautiful You,[13] and the films A Reason to Live[14] and Hwayi: A Monster Boy.

[15] In 2016, she headlined her first drama, MBC's romantic-comedy Shopping King Louie with Seo In-guk, where she impressed viewers with her acting.

[17][18] The show enjoyed modest viewership share, but it beat its competitor by topping the important 20-49 year old demographic, as well as streaming, popularity, and brand reputation charts for consecutive weeks.