 Instead, she turned to modeling, and was chosen as the exclusive advertising model for Asiana Airlines, considered a gateway to stardom.Lee made her acting debut in 2003, and among her early roles were in "People of the Water Flower Village" (2004) opposite Song Il-gook, and as the antagonist in "Save the Last Dance for Me" (2004).In 2005, Lee played her first leading role in the daily drama "My Sweetheart, My Darling", followed by the Silla-set historical epic "Ballad of Seodong" with Jo Hyun-jae.