Did You Know Shin Min-ah Is Pretty Similar to Her ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’ Character Yoon Hye-jin?

She’s similar to Hye-jin

When talking about her character in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Shin Min-ah says she’s actually pretty similar to Yoon Hye-jin. “I would say I’m 90% similar to Hye-jin,” the actress said. “I may not be as straightforward as her, but I would like to see myself as soft-hearted and kind like her.” With Shin Min-ah’s sweet face, we could definitely see that!

She began her career as a model

In 1998 when she was still 14, Shin Min-ah started modeling. One of her first jobs ever ended up being the cover for Kiki magazine. She did so well that many well-known brands hired her. This includes Giordano, LG, Calvin Klein, and French fashion brand Roger Vivier.

She started acting young

Just three years after her first modeling stint, Shin Min-ah found herself stepping into acting. Her first ever drama role was a supporting role in Beautiful Days, but it didn’t take long before she landed main roles. She starred in films like Volcano High and dramas like A Love to Kill opposite actor and idol Rain. Her name became a solid Hallyu mainstay after she played the role of a centuries-old gumiho in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho alongside Lee Seung-gi.

Prior to her debut in films and dramas, however, Shin Min-ah had already made appearances in music videos for artists such as Lee Seung-hwan and g.o.d.

“Shin Min-ah” is a stage name

The actress was actually born as Yang Min-ah, and she started her career under her original name. But name recall was a little difficult for her back then, because her name was similar to the then-popular Burger Girl in Korea, Yang Mi-ra. This prompted her to change her name to Shin Min-ah.

She goes the extra mile for her roles

Before going into any project, Shin Min-ah makes sure she’s absolutely prepared to fulfill her role. That includes training extensively for any skill she doesn’t know but her role needs. For Bittersweet Life, she learned to play the cello, while she took dance lessons for Go Go 70s. She even fainted during a boxing lesson while preparing for her role in Punch. For her most recent film Diva, the actress spent a lot of time on diving training to prepare.

“I used my whole body in my training, and I played a lot of roles that could only be performed if my body was used to the task,” she said about the additional training she gets for her roles.

She sings for her projects

Aside from being a top model and an amazing actress, Shin Min-ah can also sing! She’s got it all, really. She’s sung tracks in the original soundtracks of some of her projects, including My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Arang and the Magistrate.

She’s a regular philanthropist

She might have it all, but this model-actress-singer knows how to give back. It was revealed in 2019 that Shin Min-ah makes annual donations of 100 million won (about 4.2 million pesos) to the Hallyn Burn Foundation, an organization that focuses on patients with burn injuries. She said that she chose the organization after learning that it received less attention from donors.

She’s dating actor Kim Woo-bin

The couple has been together happily for about seven years now. They got to know each other after working together as models for Giordano. The two are known for being very supportive towards each other, as well as their low-key but kilig relationship. When Kim Woo-bin was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, Shin Min-ah remained by her boyfriend’s side and even took long breaks to care for him.

“Since we have the same career and we support each other, we say, ‘Hwaiting!’ to each other. I also hope Kim Woo-bin does well since he’s making his return,” she said about her boyfriend. “We’re cheering each other on.” After seven years of dating, the two will finally be starring in the same drama for the upcoming drama Our Blues. These two are sooo relationship goals!

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