Kim Ga Young (aka the 'Kim Yuna' look-alike) captured the attention of the nation with her appearances on KBS 2TV's "1 Night 2 Days" program. After just two episodes, she jumped into the limelight and began walking the path towards celebrity fame. So who is this girl, and how far has she come? When she first appeared on the variety program, Kim Ga Young was a high school senior who attracted an average of 200 hits on her personal homepage. Although she was accepted into Sungkyunkwan University, she put her academics on hold in order to transform into an actress and singer. Reflecting on her career decision, she said, "I never thought I'd debut as a celebrity when I first appeared on the variety program. Currently, I'm a bit excited but also nervous." Ever since she was a little girl, Kim Ga Young's focus was on traditional dance. She first started training in elementary school, and then selected her schools based on how strong their traditional dance programs were. She attended National Kukak Junior High, National Kukak High School, and Sungkyunkwan University as a traditional Korean dance major. "Dancing took up half of my entire life. I was just a regular student attending school and going to private classes afterwards. Of course, I sometimes dreamed of becoming a celebrity while watching dramas like 'Magic Kid Masuri'.. (laughter)." Although "1 Night 2 Days" was what shot her to success, she almost couldn't appear on the show due to her classmates' anxieties of the show being too intrusive at their school. Fortunately, she was able to receive permission from her school administrators, and the rest is history. "When I first began recording '1N2D,' I was excited to be able to see the celebrities with my friends. By luck, my name became known, and I was able to receive a chance to become a celebrity. This program was the turning point of my life." Big things lay ahead for the young celebrity, as she's been cast for the drama "Poseidon", set to air next year. Kim Ga Young will star alongside Eric and Yunho for the action-packed drama. She is also preparing to debut with a five member girl group, and is currently spending her days practicing her singing and her acting. "It's honestly kind of hard, but really fun," she said. "My friends are encouraging. At first, I was afraid of what they'd say but they tell me to do well and support me. They're a big source of strength." Despite her efforts, others continue to view her in a negative light, creating plastic surgery rumors and leaving hateful replies. "When I first came out on '1N2D,' I did receive a lot of hateful replies. I was really upset then since it was something I hadn't experienced before. Thinking about it now, even hateful replies are a form of attention. Someone told me that it's better to have hateful replies than nothing at all, so I'm just thankful for them. And regarding the plastic surgery rumors, there's no reason for me to pay attention to them when I'm completely natural." Because of such attention, she also has a stronger sense of determination. "I've been dancing for almost 10 years now but always believed that I was behind others. Even when I'd go into competitions and win first place, I'd wonder why I won it. I think it's because I started late and was in a position where I had to catch up to everyone. Even so, I'm not too old to be debuting in the entertainment industry, so I'm trying not to think those thoughts anymore. I'll become the best at acting and singing." Source: Star News