Sohn Ye-jin got her first foray into acting in 2000 through the horror film Secret Tears. A year after, she landed her first leading role in the MBC romantic comedy Delicious Proposal, which won her Best New Actress at the MBC Drama Awards. Her other early notable projects include the films Lovers’ Concerto and The Classic, which were released in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Her performance in both movies earned her several acting citations including Best New Actress at the 39th Baeksang Arts Awards for The Classic. In 2006, she starred in the SBS romantic melodrama Alone in Love, which scored her the Best Actress for TV trophy at the 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2009, she took home the Baeksang Best Actress for Film award for her work in the romantic drama movie My Wife Got Married. In 2014, she led the period adventure film The Pirates, which gave her the Best Actress prize at the 51st Grand Bell Awards. In 2016 and 2017, she raked in more Best Actress awards for the films The Truth Beneath and The Last Princess, with the latter giving her her second Baeksang Best Actress for Film trophy. In 2019, she was cast as a South Korean heiress in the widely popular tvN series Crash Landing on You.

In January 2021, it was confirmed that Sohn Ye-jin is dating her Crash Landing on You co-star Hyun Bin. They also previously starred together in the 2018 action crime thriller film The Negotiation. In March 2022, the couple tied the knot. In November of the same year, they welcomed their first son.