Career
As a singer in the 1990s, Lee released two dance music albums each with 1730 and Coco, and one album as a solo artist. When she switched to acting, Lee starred in television series such as Premonition (1997), Dal-ja"s Spring (2007) and Queen of Housewives (2009), and also founded the fashion brand Mission Dorothy. Lee Hye-young made her entertainment debut as a singer performing dance music
In 1992, she became part of the three-member K-popular group 1730 alongside Kim Joo-hoon and Hwang Ho-young.
1730 released two albums then disbanded. Lee and Yoon Hyun-sook (from another defunct group ZAM) then formed the duo Coco in 1994, which also released two albums.
Following two soundtrack contributions, she released her first album as a solo artist, Her First Sense in 2000, and a Christmas single in 2008. Lee began acting in 1995, and went on to star in television dramas such as First Love (1996), Premonition (1997), Can"t Help Being Born Well (2001), Dal-ja"s Spring (2007) and Kimchi Cheese Smile (2008), as well as the films If (2000) and How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men (2006).
Lee soon built a reputation for being one of trendiest and most fashionable Korean celebrities (pre-stardom, she previously worked as a stylist for the band Chakra).
She parlayed this to another successful career when she launched the clothing and accessories brand Mission Dorothy in 2004. Sold through the CJ home shopping television channel and online shopping mall Doctor of Medicine Story-Netto, Mission Dorothy recorded high sales of ₩15 billion in its first year and ₩40 billion by its third year in operation, making it the best-selling fashion brand owned by a Korean celebrity for eight consecutive years. More than just a model and endorser for Mission Dorothy, as Chief Executive Officer Lee oversaw the brand"s product design and development, marketing and promotion.
She also became a director for lingerie company M Corset when it merged with Mission Dorothy in 2007.
Once she entered her forties, Lee felt that her age would be incompatible with Mission Dorothy"s target demographic of women in their twenties and thirties, so she left the company and sold her shares in 2012, then donated all the proceeds to charity. Lee also wrote the books The Beauty Bible and The Fashion Bible in 2009, and hosted fashion-focused talk shows on cable, such as Style Magazine (2008-2009) and Women& (2012).
