Biography

Lee Jung-eun

이정은 / Lee Jung-eun

Lee Jung-eun (born January 23, 1970) is a veteran South Korean actress, widely recognized internationally for playing the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang in Bong Joon-ho's Academy Award-winning film Parasite (2019). A graduate of Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film, she began as a stage actress in 1991 and spent decades in supporting theatre and film roles before breaking through in her forties. She has since become one of Korea's most acclaimed character actresses across film and television, winning a Blue Dragon Film Award and a Baeksang Arts Award. In the 2025 box-office hit My Daughter Is a Zombie, she plays Kim Bam-sun, the resolute grandmother of the protagonist's zombie-afflicted daughter.

  • Actress

Facts

  • Lee Jung-eun (Hangul: 이정은; Hanja: 李姃垠) was born on January 23, 1970, in Seoul, South Korea. Wikipedia
  • She graduated from the Department of Theater and Film at Hanyang University and made her stage debut in 1991 in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Wikipedia
  • She is internationally known for playing the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang in Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), for which she and the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Wikipedia
  • She won the Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Parasite (2019) and the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actress for the TV series The Light in Your Eyes (2019). Wikipedia
  • In My Daughter Is a Zombie (released in South Korea on July 30, 2025, directed by Pil Gam-sung), Lee Jung-eun plays Kim Bam-sun, the grandmother/mother of the protagonist who lives in a seaside village. Wikipedia (film)
  • She is represented by the agency Will Entertainment. Wikipedia
  • IMDb lists her height as 5 ft 5 in (approximately 165 cm). IMDb
  • She voiced the titular super-pig in Bong Joon-ho's film Okja (2017) and had her first leading film role in Hommage (2022). Wikipedia

Works

My Daughter Is a Zombie Kim Bam-sun
2025 / Movie
Parasite Gook Moon-gwang (housekeeper)
2019 / Movie
When the Camellia Blooms Supporting role
2019 / Drama
Miss Night and Day Lead role
2024 / Drama
Hommage Lead role (Ji-wan)
2022 / Movie

FAQ

Who does Lee Jung-eun play in My Daughter Is a Zombie (2025)?
She plays Kim Bam-sun, the strong-willed grandmother (the protagonist's mother) who lives in a seaside village.
Is this the same Lee Jung-eun from Parasite?
Yes. This is veteran actress Lee Jung-eun (born 1970), who played the housekeeper Gook Moon-gwang in Parasite (2019), not to be confused with other Korean actresses of the same name.
When did Lee Jung-eun start her acting career?
She began as a stage actress in 1991 after studying Theater and Film at Hanyang University, later moving into film (2000) and television (2013).

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