she began her modeling career in south korea after winning the sbs supermodel contest in 2001. under the stage name han ye-seul, she made her acting debut in the popular sitcom "nonstop 4" in 2003. han quickly rose to fame, and she renounced her u.s. citizenship in 2004 and became a naturalized south korean citizen to continue establishing herself in korean entertainment. her performances in "forbidden love" (2004) and "that summer's typhoon" (2005) received poor reviews, with critics dismissing her as primarily a commercial model and not a real actress.