,Merry Go RoundandApril Kiss. Her hit historical dramaEmperor of the Seawas exported to other Asian countries, South America and the Middle East, introducing Soo Ae to a wider international audience.

opposite Lee Jung-jin , playing a 30-year-old foul-mouthed, disheveled and jaded single woman struggling with life and love. Soo Ae in reality famously has a husky, neutral voice, which helped her tomboyish performance feel so natural. But her voice hasn't always been a plus. "I've been told many times that my voice would be a detriment to my career," she said. "When I first got started, a lot of viewers posted comments online that they changed the channel because of the way I talk. [...] It was odd because I thought of my husky voice as my biggest asset. So I would tell people, 'Keep on listening, you'll get to like it.'"

,Soo Ae starred opposite Jung Jae-young in the comedyWedding Campaign, and Lee Byung-hun in the melodramaOnce in a Summer.

In a scene where she drinks heavily at a U.S. army base, Soo Ae revealed that she drank more than half a bottle of whisky at the director’s criticism that she didn't look real enough. As a result of drinking so much alcohol, she became really drunk, adding reality to the scene where she throws up in the toilet and blacks out.Her commitment to the film paid off, and Soo Ae received multiple Best Actress awards for her performance.

Describing herself as "timid" and "too introverted", Soo Ae credits her co-star Jo Seung-woo for making it easier for her to fully absorb herself in the love aspect of her role, such that it felt "like [they] were actually in a relationship during the shoot."

She tied with Yoon Jeong-hee (Poetry) for Best Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards .

, undergoing martial arts training to perform her intense action scenes in the spy series.

(lit. " King of Ambition "), from the same manhwa artist asDaemul.

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