Im Yoon-ah

Lim Yoona debuted with Girls' Generation in August 2007 after five years of training, joining what became one of South Korea's best-selling acts and most recognized girl groups worldwide. Her first major acting turn came in 2008's You Are My Destiny, which won her Best New Actress at the 45th Baeksang Arts Awards and opened the path she'd follow in parallel. She moved between music - releasing her debut EP A Walk to Remember in May 2019, which hit number three on the Gaon Album Chart - and a widening range of screen roles: the thriller The K2 in 2016, her first film lead in the 2019 disaster comedy Exit, the legal drama Big Mouth in 2022, the romance King the Land in 2023. Her two Confidential Assignment films, in 2017 and 2022, rank among South Korea's highest-grossing releases. In 2025 she starred in the breakout hit Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, playing a three-star Michelin chef transported back to cook for a Joseon king. The double career made her a fixture in endorsement deals and cemented her status as a top idol-actress of the Hallyu wave.