Kim Ji-hyun

Kim Ji-hyun was born on January 2, 1982. In her youth, she didn't have a specific dream but would casually mention wanting to be a scientist or a teacher when asked. She started to think seriously about her future after enrolling at Ulsan Girls' High School. Her older sister, who was already in college, prompted her to consider her future major, leading Kim to contemplate her options.

During her first year of high school, Kim befriended a classmate who had experience with theater club in middle school. Together, they proposed starting a theater club and, with a teacher's support, successfully launched it. Kim's involvement in the theater club was met with resistance from other teachers due to her academic excellence, but the club's first-place win at a theater festival in Ulsan solidified its status as the official theater club of Ulsan Girls' High School. This experience sparked Kim's passion for acting, leading her to pursue it as a career.

In 2000, Kim enrolled in the Department of Acting at Korea National University of Arts. During her time there, she joined Dolgochi, the theater club of the university. Reflecting on her university experience, Kim described herself as "mediocre." She elaborated, "I didn't excel in any specific area, but I could handle everything adequately and collaborate effectively with others." However, she didn't perceive this as a positive attribute. "My professors often said that actors should either be exceptional or fail," she shared, "and they told me I lacked intensity."

In her third year, she met Yi Sang-woo, a professor at her university who was also a CEO of Chaimu Theater Company and a renowned playwright in Daehangno.