Her once-thriving career has dwindled to near obscurity.
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Actress Kim Ji Soo‘s latest Instagram update about her life, revealing that she has been going back and forth between Prague and Korea, has once again put the spotlight on her troubled past.
Actress Kim Ji Soo | JTBC
On February 22, 2026 (KST), Kim Ji Soo—best known for her most recent role in Romance in the House alongside former Apink member Son Naeun and SHINee‘s Minho—wrote on social media, “I’ve been living between Prague and Korea,” and added, “In Prague, I’m not just spending time anymore—I’m actually preparing for something productive.” In the photos shared by the actress, she smiles against a winter backdrop in Prague, wearing a fur hat and scarf.
These days are very busy, and sometimes I feel overloaded and tired, but solving things one by one is part of the fun. I like the version of myself who works hard. I think laughter might be the most powerful cure-all.
— Kim Ji Soo
As Kim Ji Soo’s update comes from far outside Korea, netizens are reminded of how she once had a robust acting career, leading K-Dramas after K-Dramas, but has since essentially been “canceled.”
Kim Ji Soo debuted in 1992 and has appeared in over 20 projects. But she has faced significant backlash due to multiple alcohol-related incidents. On July 30, 2000, Kim Ji Soo crashed her Toyota Avalon into a curb after veering onto a sidewalk at Hakdong Intersection in Gangnam while severely intoxicated, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.175%. Police later confirmed she was driving without a license at the time. She was indicted without detention and fined ₩3.42 million KRW (about $2,370 USD). As a result, she stepped down as DJ of KBS2 Radio’s To You Who Forgot the Night, handing the microphone over to fellow actress Kim Jung Eun. The following year, she was also replaced by Hwang Soo Jung in MBC’s Four Sisters.
Kim Ji Soo on MBC news for her first DUI | MBC
Then, on October 5, 2010, Kim Ji Soo was involved in another drunk driving incident. While intoxicated, she crashed into a taxi in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, and fled the scene. She appeared before the police the following afternoon and admitted to the charges. She was ordered to pay a ₩10.0 million KRW (about $6,920 USD) fine. She was reportedly under consideration for a role in a KBS 2TV drama at the time but was ultimately dropped from casting, with Myung Se Bin stepping in instead. The incident occurred just before the broadcast of the historical drama King Geunchogo. Some viewers called for her removal from the series, but she ultimately remained in the cast. Reports later surfaced that during filming, she appeared with visible bruising around her eyes, requiring the special effects team to digitally remove them—further fueling public criticism about professionalism. The K-Drama itself struggled critically and commercially, and the controversy became widely regarded as part of her career’s darker chapter.
Kim Ji Soo also sparked backlash on October 17, 2018, arriving 40 minutes late to a press interview for the film Perfect Strangers. She appeared visibly intoxicated and spoke incoherently. When a reporter asked if she had been drinking, she replied, “Yes, does that bother you? You can ask your questions; I can answer them.” Her agency, Namoo Actors, ultimately halted the interview, and the press event was canceled. The agency later explained that she had been unable to drink due to her filming schedule and that watching the movie the night before may have stirred up emotions from the difficult shoot, leading her to drink. However, further controversy arose when Kim Ji Soo described the public criticism she received over the incident as a “one-sided bombardment” in a reply to a supportive comment on her social media.