Kang So-ra debuted as an actress in 2009 with a starring role in the thriller film 4th Period Mystery. Her career breakthrough came two years later when she was cast in the blockbuster comedy-drama film Sunny, which won her Best New Actress at the 20th Buil Film Awards. She also received the Most Popular Actress trophy at the 48th Baeksang Arts Awards for her work in the movie. In 2012, she led the cast of KBS2’s Dream High 2, which scored her a Baeksang Best New Actress nomination. In 2013, she took home the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards for the daily series Watch Out for Fools. In 2014, she starred in the hit dramas Doctor Stranger and Misaeng, which aired on SBS and tvN, respectively. In 2015, she was paired with Yoo Yeon-seok in the MBC romantic comedy Warm and Cozy, which earned her an Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards. In 2016, she worked with Park Shin-hyang in the KBS2 series Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho, which gave her an Excellence Award nomination at the KBS Drama Awards.


Kang So-ra studied theater and film at Dongguk University. She married an Oriental medicine doctor in August 2020 and gave birth to a daughter in April 2021.