HoYeon Jung is a successful South Korean model, actress, and star of the series "Squid Game" which premiered on Netflix in September 2021. The actress is popular not only in her home country but also abroad, thanks to collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, and others.
HoYeon Jung
Childhood
The future star was born on June 23, 1994 in Seoul. The girl grew up in a large family with two brothers and a sister. Her father, a successful businessman and owner of the Gukbap restaurant, provided everything the children needed.
Jung HoYeon as a child
From her school years, Jung Ho Yeon volunteered to participate in Seoul Fashion Week. However, only as a volunteer. Her duties included assisting in organizing shows and working with models.
After finishing school, she enrolled in the private Tongguk University, specializing in "Modeling Art". According to the girl, she was always taller than her peers, so this field suited her perfectly.
Jung HoYeon on the catwalk
Her parents suggested she follow in her father's footsteps and join the family business. But after graduating from university, the Korean woman insisted on her choice and promised to succeed as a model. Her father gave her the opportunity to do what she loved without worrying about money.
Modeling Career
HoYeon's first modeling success came at the age of 16 when she was invited to participate in Seoul Fashion Week. There, not only Esteem Models agency noticed her and offered a contract, but also the editors of glossy magazines. For instance, Vogue magazine compared the Seoul native to world-class models Cara Delevingne and Hanne Gaby Odiele.
HoYeon Jung - Runway Collection
Jung impressed model scouts not only with her tall height, unusual facial features, but also with her fiery red, almost bright red hair color, which favorably set her apart from the rest.
HoYeon's Appearance Brought Her Success
The real breakthrough in HoYeon's career was participating in the show "Korea's Next Top Model" in 2013. Taking the second place in the superfinal is hardly a failure: during the shooting stage, international agencies offered her a contract, and soon she appeared in photoshoots for Vogue Girl Korea, NylonKorea and ELLE Wedding magazines.
HoYeon in the show 'Korea's Next Top Model'
Jung made her international runway debut in 2016, participating in the Louis Vuitton show in New York. Then there were collaborations with fashion houses Chanel, Fendi, Dolce&Gabbana, Burberry and Versace and participation in their advertising campaigns.
HoYeon Jung’s Elimination on KNTM
Gradually, photos of the top model began to flicker not only on the pages of glossy publications but also on the covers of magazines such as Vogue in Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, as well as the South Korean Harper's Bazaar.
Jung Ho Yeon often appears on the covers of glossy magazines
In 2017, the site Models.com named the girl Model of the Year and awarded her the "Best Debut" nomination. Since 2019, she has been included in the top 50 best models in the world.
Squid Game and Other Roles
In 2020, Jung decided to try her hand at acting. She took the decision seriously, understanding that just a cute face wouldn't be enough in this industry. After taking acting classes, she signed a contract with Saram Entertainment. According to Ho Yeon, she spent a lot of time abroad, and she wanted to express her feelings of loneliness and emptiness through her performances on screen.
A month after she hired an agent to search for roles in Korean movies and series, she received a letter offering her to record an audition tape for a new drama series on Netflix.
Ho Yeon didn't expect to get the role with her first audition, but a miracle occurred – the director noticed her among other aspiring actresses. Interestingly, she was on the same level as some well-known and experienced actors. For instance, Lee Jung Jae, who played the lead role of Seong Gi Hun (№ 456), had been in over 40 projects by that time.
Jung Ho Yeon in Squid Game
In the plot, 456 people with massive debts end up in a game with a multi-billion dollar prize. At first glance, it might seem like a child's play, but behind the big cash prize are competition, cruelty, and other human vices that unfold as the story progresses. Jung was given the role of Kang Sae Byeok, a North Korean defector and thief. She dreams of rescuing her younger brother from an orphanage and moving her family to South Korea.
Hoyeon Jung All Scenes - Squid Game
The actress prepared thoroughly for the shooting. To look more natural in the role of a pickpocket, Ho Yeon had to unlearn her model walk, which she had perfected through years of work. She also had to familiarize herself with the culture, speak with real defectors, and study the local dialect of North Koreans - saturi.
On the set of Squid Game
The actress admits that during the shooting, she felt insecure and often asked herself: "Do I really belong here?". The lack of experience and fear of letting the team down didn't allow Jung to work peacefully. However, the director reassured her, saying that she just needed to be herself.
Personal Life of Jung Ho-Yeon
Despite the great attention from fans, especially men, the girl's heart has long been occupied. Since 2015, Jung Ho-Yeon has been dating actor Lee Dong-Hwi, who is nine years her senior.
Jung Ho-Yeon is dating actor Lee Dong-Hwi
As Jung herself admits, he is not only a loved one but also her best friend and colleague. Her boufriend is known in his homeland for his roles in feature films and TV series, for instance, in the thriller "The Handmaiden" and the drama "Extreme Job". The actor also engages in music and loves to dress stylishly.
Ho-Yeon's chosen one — Lee Dong-Hwi
Lee fully supported his beloved in preparing for her first role and, according to the man himself, he was sincerely happy for her successful debut. According to SBS Broadcasting Company, the supermodel and her partner ranked third in the ratings of the most stable couples in the South Korean show business.
Squid Game's Jung Ho-yeon Finally Talks About Her Boyfriend
Jung Ho-Yeon Now
Jung Ho-Yeon's stunning debut in "Squid Game" brought her a level of popularity that was unexpected even for her. In just a couple of weeks, more than 20 million people followed her on Instagram.
In addition to a large number of fans, this role helped the actress become an ambassador for the fashion house Louis Vuitton and the face of Adidas.
Jung Ho-Yeon became the face of Adidas
In 2022, she had a minor role in the mini-series "Disclaimeral" directed by Alfonso Cuarón (as Journalist Kim) and appeared in The Weeknd's music video for "Out of Time".
Jung Ho-Yeon in The Weeknd's music video
In 2023, she secured a key role in the South Korean sci-fi thriller "Hope" and in the Spanish drama "The Governesses" starring Lily Depp.
Interesting Facts
Adventures appeal to Ho-yeon as much as the modeling business and acting. "Once I went skydiving. I was in Guam with my friends, I think I was 19 or so. We love to travel," admits the girl.
At 19, the model went skydiving
She's also a fan of action films and dreams of starring in a Quentin Tarantino film someday. The main movies that influenced her, Ho-yeon names "Midsommar" by Ari Aster, "Fargo" by the Coen brothers and "Kill Bill" by Tarantino.
Ho-yeon is fluent in English. She started learning it not only for communication with European designers and colleagues but also for her future acting career, which she planned to start as soon as possible.
During the filming of "Squid Game", Ho-yeon was supported by her friend, Blackpink member Jennie Kim. The latter even sent a food truck right to the set. The girls have been communicating on social media since 2019.
