Seo had no plans to pursue a career in acting but things took a different turn when she caught the attention of the CEO of her then-management company, Made in Chan Entertainment, who persuaded her to venture into acting. In March 2013, she stepped in the entertainment industry by appearing in an advertisement for SK Telecom. In May 2013, she featured in the Samsung Galaxy S4 short film Love essaying the role of Min-joo. She debuted as an actress in the tvNsitcomPotato Star 2013QR3 which aired for 120 episodes from September 23, 2013, to May 15, 2014.[2][3][4]
She next starred in the MBC historical drama Diary of a Night Watchman (2014) where she essayed a major role for which she was nominated at the 2014 MBC Drama Awards in the Best New Actress category. This was followed by her appearance in tvN television series Super Daddy Yeol (2015) and notable jTBC television series Last (2015) starring as a civil servant.[5][6][7][8][9]
Following the expiration of her contract with her management company in 2016, Seo left Made in Chan Entertainment and became associated with King Entertainment.[14][15]
2017–present: Another Way and rising popularity
Starting of 2017 was marked by Seo's first leading role in the film Another Way (2017) which dealt with the issue of suicide pacts.[16] Seo was praised from viewers as "New Thriller Queen" when she starred in OCN thriller mystery television series Save Me (2017).[17][18]
On January 1, 2020, Seo joined newly established entertainment agency Gold Medalist.[26]
Seo's first venture with her new management company came with tvN and Netflix broadcast romantic comedy It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020).[27] She starred opposite Kim Soo-hyun and featured in the role of a bestselling children's book author who has a personality disorder.[28] Her portrayal of the character was critically acclaimed by[29]Manila Bulletin, The Hindu[30] and The New York Times named the series one of "The Best International Shows of 2020" and called Seo's performance as "mesmerizing".[31] Seo also experienced a substantial rise in popularity and attracted media attention in Korea and internationally.[32]
In 2021, she starred in a mystery-thriller film Recalled, directed by Seo Yoo-min alongside Kim Kang-woo which was a resounding success. It topped local box office on its opening weekend.[33] In December 2021, Seo renewed her contract with the Gold Medalist.[34]
On November 30, 2023, Gold Medalist shared that Seo would be leaving the agency following her contract expiration.[36]
In June 2024, Seo signed with new agency Sublime.[37]
Personal life
In April 2021, Seo was accused of being the reason behind Kim Jung-hyun's behavior at a 2018 press conference for The Time and his exit from the series.[38] On April 12, South Korean local tabloid Dispatch revealed alleged text messages between Kim Jung-hyun and Seo, which showed the actress demanding Kim to refrain from any physical contact with female actors in the drama The Time.[38] She allegedly told him to get the romantic scenes deleted from the script. He eventually quit in the middle of production citing eating and sleeping disorders.[39]
In response, Seo's agency, Gold Medalist, denied the claim that she was the reason behind Kim's behaviour and abrupt exit from the series. They argued that "it is unreasonable to assume that a lead actor would make a decision that would jeopardize his career without free will", adding that they "confirmed" this with Kim Jung-hyun.[40] The agency argued that messages exchanged between them were "very misleading" and were "merely jealous quarrels about shooting scenes". Amid these allegations, Seo withdrew from the ongoing production of the Korean drama Island. According to the production, her character would be recast and rewritten.[41]
In May 2021, Kim Jung-hyun revealed that he had ended his contract with his agency, whom he accused of forcing the 2018 press conference on him despite his health problems. Kim added that he would pursue legal action against the agency for putting up false claims against him since that event. In addition, Kim also denied Seo has any involvement in how he acted, reiterating the issues on his health problems and company's mistreatment.[42]
^Poniewozik, James; Hale, Mike; Lyons, Margaret (December 1, 2020). "Best TV Shows of 2020". The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
^ ab김강우X서예지, 감성스릴러 '내일의 기억' 캐스팅...전격 크랭크인(공식) ["Kim Kang-woo x Seo Yea-ji, sentiment thriller'memory of tomorrow' cast...]. Pop.Heraldcorp (in Korean). May 8, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
^Koh Seung-ah (December 30, 2021). 서예지, 현 소속사 골드메달리스트와 재계약 체결 [공식] [Seo Yea-ji signs contract renewal with her current agency, Gold Medalist [Official]] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Seong-yeol (November 30, 2023). [단독]"4년 동행 끝" 서예지, FA 시장으로..소속사와 전속계약 종료 [종합] [[Exclusive] Seo Ye-ji, "After 4 years of togetherness", enters the free agent market..Termination of exclusive contract with agency [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Seong-yool (June 25, 2024). [단독]서예지 복귀 시동? 새 둥지 찾았다..결국 송강호·혜리와 한솥밥 [[Exclusive] Seo Ye-ji's comeback? I found a new home... In the end, I ate together with Song Kang-ho and Hyeri.] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024 – via Naver.
^Jang, Jin-ri (May 12, 2021). 오앤엔터, 사실상 폐업...김정현 "진흙탕 싸움? 명예 찾을 것"[종합] [O&Enter, virtually shut down...Kim Jeong-hyeon "Fight in the mud? I will find honor" [General]] (in Korean). SpoTV News. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park Pan-seok (November 21, 2021). [단독] 서예지 복귀작 '이브의 스캔들', 오늘(21일) 첫 촬영 돌입 [[Exclusive] Seo Yea-ji's comeback work 'Eve's Scandal' begins filming today (21st)] (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Myung-mi (November 30, 2020). 강다니엘→방탄소년단 '2020 APAN' 인기투표 최종 결과 발표 [Kang Daniel → Announcement of the final result of popular voting for BTS '2020 APAN']. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020 – via Naver.
^Choi, Na-young (November 4, 2020). '2020 APAN 어워즈' 인기투표 중, 팬들이 직접 뽑은 1위는? [Among the popularity votes for the '2020 APAN Awards', which number one did fans pick?]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Naver.
^서예지 '2020 브랜드 대상' 올해의 여자 배우 선정 [Seo Yea-ji was selected as '2020 Brand of the Year', Actress of the Year]. Star News (in Korean). September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
^Ji, Min-kyung (October 22, 2020). '2020 부일영화상' 강동원X서예지, 남녀인기스타상 수상.."팬들 감사해" ['2020 Buil Film Awards' Kang Dong-won x Seo Yea-ji, won the Men's and Women's Popular Star Award.. "Thank you fans"]. OSEN [ko] (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2020 – via Naver.