Breakthrough as a musical actor, resume film career, debut in television
Lee's breakthrough as an actress came in the 2008 musical Laundry, which is considered one of the representative creative musicals in South Korea. In the production, Lee portrayed multiple roles, including a master, a grandmother, and an employee, performing until 2009. Her performance in the musical earned her the 1st Young Drama Award, with a prize of 3 million won. This award was established by the cultural arts support forum "Alpha", which is composed of around 60 domestic CEOs, including Samsung Electronics CEO Kwun Oh-hyun. The award ceremony was held on September 19, 2008, at Shinhan Art Hall in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul.
She reprised her role in Laundry from 2012 to 2017. Apart from her work in Laundry, Lee collaborated with director Choo Min-joo on reading performances of House with Fig Trees and Scars, as well as the musical Good Morning School.
Lee, who had gained a reputation in the musical field, decided to venture into film projects once again. She made her return to the screen in 2009 with the film If You Were Me 4. Costume designer Choi Se-yeon, who was also the producer of the musical Laundry, recommended her for an audition, which led to her landing a minor role in Bong Joon-ho's 2009 film Mother. This marked her first collaboration with director Bong Joon-ho.
She faced numerous challenges during her years of living in obscurity. Before the age of 40, she had to support herself through various part-time jobs, such as being an academy instructor, working at a supermarket, and selling green juice. It wasn't until she reached the age of 45 that she finally made her debut on television.
In 2013, Lee appeared on television for the first time in The Queen's Classroom and had minor roles in Blue Tower, Royal Villa, and Shining Romance (2013–2014). Lee also appears in the film The Attorney, which attracted 10 million viewers. She appeared as the old house owner of the main character Song Woo-seok (played by Song Kang-ho) and showed off her witty acting. When Song Kang-ho asked her to sell the house because he would pay more than the market price, she said, "Oh my, would you like some 'jussi'?" in a dialect and acted cutely. The following year, she was featured in television dramas Cunning Single Lady, Beauty Parlor Boss, High School King of Savvy, My Lovely Girl, and Only Love.
Her big break came in 2015. After a minor role in the KBS2 school series Who Are You: School 2015, she landed a supporting role in the tvN drama series Oh My Ghost (2015) where she portrayed the Shaman of Seobinggo-dong. Lee gained widespread recognition for her performance in the drama. In 2016, Lee starred in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo as Jung Jun-hyung's (Nam Joo-hyuk) mother. In that same year, she won Best Acting at the Seoul Theatre Festival for her role in the play Feast with Hanyang Repertory Theater.
