Lost in Paradise with Yunjin Kim

Atop Mulholland Drive on a clear Los Angeles day, Korean American actress, Yunjin Kim, is enjoying a much-needed rest. Her role as Sun-Hwa Kwon on ABC's Lost lasted for six adventurous seasons, finally ending last year in 2010. Although Yunjin is eager to see what's next in line for her career, she appreciates all that Lost has done for her and what it meant to all of the show's fans.

“The success of Lost is beyond the US and Korea,” Yunjin says. “We received mail from New Zealand, France, the UK and all corners of the world. But what I’m most proud of is that both Daniel Dae Kim [who plays Jin, Sun’s husband] and I played roles that were far from the ‘old’ Hollywood perception of Asians. I’m pleased to see Asians being portrayed as real people instead of prostitutes, kung fu masters or houseboys.”

“Playing Sun,” Yunjin adds, “was both fun and challenging. To give our viewers a complete picture of what Sun was going through and what she was trying to do to hold on to her marriage requires the right mix of sweet gentleness, loyalty and hidden strength. I felt at home doing it.”

Born in Korea, Yunjin and her family moved to Staten Island, New York, when she was 10. As the middle child of three girls, Yunjin was extremely shy. To overcome her bashfulness, Yunjin made an unorthodox, but courageous move into acting.

Yunjin enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. She later graduated from Boston University and furthered her acting skills at the British American Drama Academy.

“My father was hoping that I’d study pre-med,” Yunjin says. “So you can understand how disappointed he was when I told him that I wanted to be an actress. But after my parents watched me in plays, they became very supportive.”

Yunjin’s big break into the motion picture industry came when she was working as a production assistant in New York on a Korean mini-series. Invited by the producer of the series to an audition, Yunjin subsequently earned a contract for future productions in Korea. It would appear that her life had come full circle as Yunjin was now set to return to Seoul to live and work.

In her first feature film, Shiri, Yunjin played a North Korean assassin. The success of this film was beyond preconceived expectations, even surpassing the earnings of Titanic in the Korean market. It was a remarkable and unprecedented occurrence. Yunjin went on to captivate the Korean audience in Danjeogbiyeonsu, Rush!, Mr. Iron Palm, Yesterday, Ardor and Diary of June.

Yunjin's acting experience was spun as Korea’s "Pretty Woman," in the American market. However, her ability to play a wide range of obscure and diverse roles in the Korean market would better equate her to Hollywood’s Naomi Watts.

“I’m flattered for comparing my acting to that of Julia Roberts,” Yunjin says with a smile. “But we are different. She is the queen of romantic comedy. I played a “La Femme Nikita” type of role. I was the girl with guns.”

In one of Lost's episodes, the dialogue between Sun and Jin was in Korean, with English subtitles. Unfettered by the unfamiliar sound, viewers remarkably drew closer to the couple through their interaction. Each subtle smile and glance became a focal point that required superior acting that transcended the obvious language barrier.

Korean tradition and demeanor has often been depicted in Hollywood as very similar, if not mimicking, the Japanese. This is definitely not the situation on Lost, as ABC hired a Korean-American writer to confer with Yunjin to avoid such mistakes.

“Sometimes, Daniel and I get to help them ‘get it right’,” Yunjin says, “such as table settings or how they should act.”

When Yunjin had any down time from Lost’s production, she swims, enjoys Oahu and plays golf. She developed a keen sense for the game when she moved to Hawaii in 2004.

“Golf and acting are almost alike,” Yunjin says. “If you try too hard, you’ll fail. They are both mental games and it will take a lifetime to learn. I don’t believe that anyone can say that they have truly mastered the game of golf, nor can anyone claim that they are the best actor or actress. That’s the beauty of acting. You can never master the art. It's always evolving.”

This humility comes easily to Yunjin, which is somewhat surprising considering that she is loved by so many fans all over the world. She is a devout Christian who lives her life according to her own personal moral code, subscribing to the belief that one’s energy can directly affect others.

She once took in and foster-cared a 3 month-old baby who came into her house pale and thin, but left strong and healthy. Yunjin attributes this transformation to the much-needed nutrition, love and energy that the child received while under her care. This experience touched Yunjin so much, she wanted to become a mother. She went through the proper channels to adopt the child but, for one reason or another, it was not meant to be.

“Living life is about helping one another,” Yunjin says. “And if you believe for the right reason, faith will bring you what you want and need in life.”

Whether its her faith, acting skills, or both that has propelled Yunjin Kim to her current celebrity status, it is certain that without her, Lost would not have been as bright without its Sun.

In March of 2010, Yunjin married her former manager, Jeong Hyeok Park, in Oahu shortly after shooting the final scenes for Lost. Congratulations, Yunjin!