Actor Ki Eun-se. [Newsis]
Actor Ki Eun-se. [Newsis]

Actor Ki Eun-se has opened up about spending years in near-obscurity despite a long acting career, and how social media became the turning point that changed her life.

Ki appeared Sunday on the ENA entertainment program "X the League" as captain of the South Korean team, competing against squads from other countries in a commerce challenge.

She showed off her home, which features a striking interior design, and explained her philosophy as a seller. "My house is like a studio," she said. "What matters most to me is sharing products that are woven into my everyday life with my followers." She described her strategy of selling items that reflect her personal lifestyle.

Ki also spoke candidly about what led her to carve out a new path as a social media influencer after years as an actor.

"I was active as an actor for a long time, but if people don't recognize you, you're still unknown," she said. "I was living a life of failure as an actor, then I started posting photos of my daily life on social media — and I gained so many followers, and got to act again."

She added that the experience shaped her approach to selling. "That's why I thoroughly research and verify products for the people who trust me enough to buy them," she said, making clear she does not simply trade on her fame.

"X the League" features 40 top global sellers from eight teams across nine countries, each devising national sales strategies to compete in a commerce contest. The South Korean team, led by Ki, focused on premium home appliances with high per-unit prices as their main product.

The strategies of other countries also drew attention. China and Thailand led with K-beauty products, while Indonesia centered its sales push on domestically made halal-certified goods. Japan opted for a differentiation strategy built on rigorous product curation, and the Vietnam team struggled to reach consensus on the price range for their flagship product.

In the midpoint tally for round one, Indonesia ranked first, followed by South Korea in second and China in third. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and the United States rounded out the standings.

Meanwhile, Ki recently drew controversy after moving to the Pyeongchang-dong neighborhood of Seoul, where renovation work on her new home caused friction with residents over construction vehicle traffic, noise and dust. Her representatives at the time apologized to affected neighbors and said the issues with street access and cleanliness were promptly addressed.


betterj@heraldcorp.com