Lee Hanee

Beauty pageant

Lee won the 2006 Miss Korea pageant and represented South Korea in the Miss Universe 2007. She managed to break into the Top 5 and placed as 3rd runner-up; Riyo Mori from Japan was crowned Miss Universe that year. Lee was also named Miss Grand Slam 2007.

Music

Lee is a professional gayageum player, a Korean music instrument. She was named a gayageum prodigy by the Kumho Art Center, the most prestigious musical foundation in Korea. She has released four CDs and played in more than 25 countries, including concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In 2017, she participated in the largest-ever mass performance of the gayageum as part of the two-day Uijeongbu International Gayageum Festival. Lee performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics, where she reinterpreted '춘앵무 (Chunaengmu)', one of the royal dances of the Joseon period. Lee appeared in the music video For Dynamic Duo (South Korean duo)'s song "Jam".^{[circular reference]} Presumably Lee plays a Honeybee in the video which is a pun on the honeybee themed video.

Film and television

Lee Hanee co-hosted Real Time TV Entertainment, on the national TV network SBS, a 12-year-old show focusing on show business, beginning July 18. In 2008, she made her acting debut in the musical Polaroid which opened at PMC Daehangno Jayu Theater in Hyehwa-dong, Jongno District. She has since starred in musicals Legally Blonde, playing Elle Woods and Chicago, playing Roxie Hart.

In 2009, Lee starred in her first television series The Partner, playing a femme fatale attorney. She next starred in the romantic comedy series Pasta (2010), playing a celebrity chef. Lee won her first acting accolade at the MBC Drama Awards, the Best Newcomer award for her performance in the family drama Iron Daughters-in-law (2011). In 2011, Lee was cast in her first big screen role in action film, Hit. She also featured in the disaster film Deranged and period comedy I Am a King (2012).

After appearing in E J-yong's ensemble mockumentary Behind the Camera (2013), Lee starred in the gambling film Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014), playing a rich widow. She also appeared in a comedy drama in 2014 called Modern Farmer which is about a rock band called "Excellent Souls." The band consists of Lee Min-Ki (Lee Hong-Ki), Kang Hyeok (Park Min-Woo), Yoo Han-Cheol (Lee Si-Un) and Han Ki-Joon (Kwak Dong-Yeon). The band decides to move to the countryside. The drama series follows their dreams, loves, and friendships.

Lee then played Queen Daemok in the 2015 historical drama Shine or Go Crazy, which depicts a fictional romance between a cursed Goryeo prince and the last princess of Balhae. The same year, she starred in the science fiction film Sori: Voice From The Heart. In 2016, Lee starred in the comedy drama Come Back Mister. Lee was praised for her chemistry with co-star Oh Yeon-seo, whom she has acted with in her previous project Shine or Go Crazy. In 2017, Lee played famous gisaeng Jang Nok-su in the historical drama The Rebel. She won critical praise for her portrayal, and won several acting awards. The same year, she featured in crime thriller Heart Blackened and action comedy film The Bros.

In 2019, Lee starred in the comedy film Extreme Job as a narcotics detective. The film became the second-most successful Korean film ever with 16 million tickets sold. The same year, she starred in comedy crime drama The Fiery Priest as a prosecutor. The drama was a commercial success with over 20% in ratings. Both projects proved Lee's versatility and contributed to her rise in popularity.

In 2021, Lee starred another SBS drama One the Woman with Lee Sang-yoon, Jin Seo-yeon and Lee Won-keun, making a small screen comeback in two years. She played dual roles as Jo Yeon-joo, a smart but corrupted prosecutor (which is similar to her previous drama The Fiery Priest) and Kang Mi-na, an illegitimate daughter of a chaebol who is abused by her family and her husband's family. The drama was a hit with the last episode achieving 3.2 million viewers and a rating of 17.8%. For her successful portrayal of dual character with polar opposite personality, she earned a top excellence award and daesang nomination at 2021 SBS Drama Awards.

Relationship and marriage

On November 8, 2021, it was confirmed that Lee was dating a non-celebrity boyfriend. They have been dating since early 2021. On December 21, 2021, Saram Entertainment confirmed that Lee has married that day, and the wedding ceremony was held in Seoul where only family members attended. According to Lee's agency, her husband is a Korean-American office worker. In January 2022, Lee's agency announced that Lee was 4 months pregnant with her first child. On June 20, 2022, she gave birth to a daughter at a hospital in Seoul. On March 7, 2025, it was announced that Lee was expecting her second child. Lee gave birth to a second daughter on August 24.

Tax audit

In September 2024 the Seoul Regional Tax Office audited Lee and Hope Project. In February 2025 Team Hope confirmed an additional assessment of about ₩6 billion, including income tax, and said the amount had been paid. The agency stated that Lee had cooperated with a non-routine integrated audit of corporate artist businesses, that filings had been made on the advice of a tax agent, and that the extra tax reflected a difference of interpretation with the authorities rather than intentional evasion.

On 23 December 2025 the Gangnam Police Precinct referred Lee, her husband and Hope Project without detention to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for alleged operation of a popular culture and arts planning business without registration. Team Hope said Hope Project completed registration on 28 October 2025. As of March 2026 no court judgment on the referral had been reported. That month media also reported that a Hope Project branch office was registered at a restaurant in Yongsan District, Seoul. No criminal conviction for tax evasion was reported.

Film

Television series

Television shows

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles