Seolhyun of AOA: for singer, actress and model, happiness is what you can do for others, not just yourself
- Seolhyun made her debut with AOA in 2012. Since then she has developed into a talented actress and is one of South Korea’s most popular celebrities
- The starlet has made multiple donations to charities and created a scholarship for the Seoul School for the Deaf
South Korea holds its Miss Korea beauty pageant every year, and the title arguably could have gone to singer-actress-model Seolhyun for several years running given how much love she receives from her home country.
A pageant winner shouldn’t just stand out for her beauty or popularity, but also for how she looks to use her influence to help those less fortunate. Once South Korea’s most searched celebrity on the internet, and sought after for her charity work, learn more about Seolhyun.
Seolhyun’s early life
Kim Seol-hyun was born in January 1995 in Bucheon, a satellite city of South Korea’s capital, Seoul. The young Seolhyun grew up practising piano, and began dreaming of becoming a performer while singing and dancing at school.
As a teenager, Seolhyun won a student model competition attended by several talent agencies. She was scouted by FNC Entertainment, home to K-pop/rock bands F.T. Island and CNBlue and a perfect fit for Seolhyun, with her musical and instrumental background.
Before she made her musical debut in mid-2012, she appeared in the music video for F.T. Island’s Severely, and impressed viewers with her acting skills and beauty.
Her role in AOA
In July 2012, Seolhyun made her debut as a member of AOA. In the chart-topping girl group, she is both a vocalist and dancer, and considered both a “centre” and the face of the outfit.
She is one of the group’s best known members thanks to her work in and outside the band.
Her solo work
Just months after starting her music career, Seolhyun made her acting debut in the South Korean television drama My Daughter Seo-young.
Since then Seolhyun has focused a large portion of her career on television dramas, including 2013’s Ugly Alert, 2015’s Orange Marmalade, 2019’s My Country, plus Day and Night for 2020. She has also been cast in reality shows such as 2015’s Brave Family and 2016’s Law of the Jungle – for which she brought in high ratings – as well three films: 2015’s Gangnam Blues, 2017’s Memoir of a Murderer, and The Great Battle in 2018.
Her image
Thanks to the range of her activities, Seolhyun was the most-searched person on the popular South Korean search engine Naver in 2015, and was named model of the year at the 2015 TVCF Awards for landing brand endorsements from multiple industries, including fashion, food, cosmetics and e-commerce.
From 2016 to 2018 she was a promotional ambassador for “Visit Korea Year” to promote the country’s tourism industry, and was selected as an official ambassador to Korea’s national elections in 2016.
The national recognition for Seolhyun has endured despite controversy. Despite a television clip showing her and fellow AOA member Jimin failing to recognise important historical figures during a lighthearted reality TV show, Seolhyun continued her work with the Korean Tourism Board.
She is recognised not just for the money she has made, but also the money she has given away.
The starlet has made multiple donations to help children and young people, including funding overseas childhood education, paediatric cancer patients, and a scholarship for the Seoul School for the Deaf. She donated to local relief efforts for the 2017 Pohang earthquake and this year’s coronavirus pandemic.
In her own words
When dealing with problems, Seolhyun says she remains optimistic by always reminding herself of the larger goal, which is to be happy.
“When I was filled with guilt and disappointment about myself, I would think about the people who work hard for me and cheer me on,” she wrote in a 2017 birthday letter to fans. “I realised that being negative is a waste of time, and I should just do my best to thank those people.
“To everyone telling me that my existence is a source of energy for them, your existence is my source of energy too. That’s why this year, as important as my own happiness is, I also want there to be more happy people in the world.”
Seolhyun says satisfaction starts from within.
“I don’t want to be swept away by other people or a job that receives a lot of attention,” she told Dazed magazine in 2019. “I realised how important it is to love myself. I wanted to have the freedom to express what I wanted to say rather than pay attention to others, and I am learning how to respect and love myself in the process.”
