Jung Ho-yeon (HoYeon Jung) Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jung Ho-yeon

• Jung Ho-yeon is a South Korean actress and model who gained worldwide recognition after portraying the lead role of ‘Kang Sae-byeok’ in the South Korean series ‘Squid Game’ (2021).

• She grew up as a tomboy.
  

  A childhood picture of Jung Ho-yeon with her father

• As a child, she attended several academies to learn violin, piano, swimming, English, and mathematics.

• As a child in elementary school, she used to swim. She was so good at swimming that she won four second-place prizes in swimming competitions in Gyeonggi-do. Due to her parents, who wanted her to only concentrate on her studies, she had to quit swimming.

• As a teen, she wished to make money. She asked people for suggestions to make money. They told her to try modeling as she was tall. She decided to try modeling. When she was fifteen, she went to Seoul’s MBC Academy, where she learned the basics of modeling. Her teacher soon began giving her small modeling jobs like fashion school graduation shows. In 2010, aged sixteen, she started her career as a freelance model, and she walked for shows at the Seoul Fashion Week for two years. For two years, she worked without an agency.

• She quit the second season of the reality modeling show ‘Korea’s Next Top Model’ (2011) after making it to the Top 30 due to a pelvic injury she received while on the show.

• After the show, she realized her shortcomings and the existence of Asian supermodels. From then on, she began taking modeling seriously. To improve herself, she began watching fashion shows and reading fashion magazines; she use to mimic their poses and walks. In 2012, she auditioned for the modeling agency ESteem Models and signed up with them after cracking it.

• In 2013, she appeared in ‘Korea’s Next Top Model’ again, where, in the second episode, she was eliminated. She made an entry in the episode of the show again and went on to win second place in the show.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon in Korea’s Next Top Model (2013)

• The same year, she was seen in the music video of ‘Going Crazy’ by the South Korean singer Lee Hyori.

• In 2014, she was featured in the music video of ‘Move’ by the South Korean singer Kim Yeon-woo.

• The same year, she appeared in the music video of ‘Beat’ by the South Korean boyband 100%.

• She was featured in the Korean editions of the magazines like Vogue, Elle, and W in 2016.

• In 2016, she left South Korea to make her career overseas after she signed with The Society Management, New York.

• Before moving to New York, she died her hair fiery red, which was a mistake on part of the hairstylist. However, her hair color turned out to be good, and she decided to go with it. This became her signature look overseas, and she earned the identity as a ‘red-haired Asian’ among fashion designers.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon walking the runway for Adidas in her fiery red hair color

• In January 2016, Jung Ho-yeon and Lee Dong-hwi made their relationship public. The couple were dating for months before the announcement. Jung and Lee are together addressed as ‘fashionista couple’ and ‘free personalities [who] don’t hide their affection.’

• In 2016, she was supposed to walk as an exclusive for the American fashion designer Alexander Wang, which was supposed to be her international runway debut. The show was canceled. Later in September 2016, she finally made her international runway debut at Opening Ceremony’s S/S 2017 show at New York Fashion Week.

• After her international runway debut, she walked the ramp for famous fashion designers and labels like Marc Jacobs (American), Alberta Ferretti (Italian, Chanel (French luxury brand), Max Mara (Italian fashion business), and Fendi (Italian luxury brand).

• At the same time, she was featured in Sephora and Gap campaigns and also appeared in the magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, Love, and W.

• The French fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière and casting director Ashley Brokaw chose her as an exclusive model for Louis Vuitton at their S/S 2017 show in 2016. The show became her Paris Fashion Week runway debut.

• Being a supermodel, she has walked the runway for brands like Burberry, Miu Miu, Jason Wu, Chanel, Schiaparelli, Giambattista Valli, Bottega Veneta, Emilio Pucci, Prabal Gurung, Jacquemus, Gabriela Hearst, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli, Jeremy Scott, Tory Burch, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Acne Studios, Brandon Maxwell, Gucci, and Lanvin.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon talking about walking the ramp for Brandon Maxwell in an Instagram post

• She also worked as a model in the advertisements for Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès, and Bottega Veneta. She was also seen on the cover of magazines like Vogue Japan, CR Fashion Book, and Harper’s Bazaar Korea.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Korea

• She was seen in the promotional video for Pharrell Williams and Chanel’s collaborative capsule collection in March 2019.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon in a scene from the promotional video of Pharrell Williams and Chanel’s collaborative capsule collection

• In 2019, she was featured in the music video of ‘Taste of Acid’ by the South Korean rock band Hot Potato.

• After working as a model overseas, she found a need to start another career for herself as she felt that the models have a short career life space. She came to the belief after seeing declining opportunities in her career as a model. On her travels during holidays to South Korea, she began taking acting lessons. At the same time, she took English classes as she believed it would influence her acting. In January 2020, she signed with Saram Entertainment, and in February 2021, while in New York, she auditioned through a video for the Netflix survival drama TV series ‘Squid Game.’ When she returned to South Korea, she audition again in person and bagged the lead role of ‘Kang Sae-byeok’ (numbered 067), a North Korean defector who enters the Squid Game to pay a broker to help her parents cross the border and buy a house for her family to live in. The series was created, written, and directed by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk. The Squid Game is a contest consisting of children’s games with the death penalty for the losers to win prize money of ₩45.6 billion. Other main roles in the series were played by Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung. The series was streamed on and distributed by Netflix worldwide, and it became the first Korean drama to peak at number one on Netflix’s top ten weekly most-watched TV show charts globally. Within the first 28 days of its availability, the series garnered 111 million viewers worldwide, becoming Netflix’s most-watched series at its launch.

• To portray ‘Kang Sae-byeok’ in Squid Game, she practiced the Hamgyŏng dialect with real North Korean defectors, watched documentaries about the defectors, and learned martial arts. To further connect with Sae-byeok, she wrote a diary from her character’s perspective and drew inspiration from the loneliness she felt when she was in New York. In an interview, she said,
  

  As I wrote her daily diaries, I was able to build Sae-byeok’s outlook within myself, as well as her facial expressions. I’d almost say that I physically accumulated all of her experiences to express her character. Of course, I had to train in martial arts for the action sequences and learn the North Korean dialect. All of those efforts put together, as well as the help of many people I worked with, all gave birth to the character of Sae-byeok.”

  After the series aired, she became a fan-favorite, and the critics gave her the title of Squid Game’s breakout star. She also became the most-followed South Korean actress on Instagram, surpassing top South Korean actresses Lee Sung-kyung and Song Hye-kyo. As of November 2021, Ho-yeon has 23.6 million people following her on Instagram.

• In October 2021, she was made the Louis Vuitton Global House Ambassador for fashion, watches, and jewelry.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon promoting Louis Vuitton in an Instagram post

• In the same month, she modeled as a part of the Adicolor campaign of Adidas Original.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon in the Adicolor campaign of Adidas Originals

• Before she made up her mind to become an actor, she was going through a slump in her career, which made her feel lonely. In an interview, she said,
  

  I didn’t have anyone to share my good or bad news with. I was constantly bottling up my loneliness. It was only after I entered the real world that I became firmer.”

  She diverted her attention from loneliness by reading books and watching films, hoping to learn more about humanity. However, watching films made her interested in acting.

• In 2015, Vogue’s Monica Kim referred to her as ‘one of Seoul’s top modeling talents,’ and in 2021, K-Ci Williams of Vulture labeled her as ‘world’s current ‘It’ girl.’

• She shares a good friendship with the South Korean singer Jennie (of Blackpink). Ho-yeon met Jennie when she was modeling for Chanel at the Paris Fashion Week, where Jennie had come to watch the Chanel show. Jennie’s stylist, who knew Ho-yeon, introduced them to each other. They did not talk until Ho-yeon attended a Blackpink concert, where they became friends with each other. They are so close that when Ho-yeon visited South Korea, they would always hang out. They actively show their support to each other in their endeavors.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon with Jennie

• She is a part of Chin Ho-hyeop, a three-member friendship group including the South Korean models Kim Jin-kyung and Hwang Se-on.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon with Kim Jin-kyung and Hwang Se-on

• When she was a child, she wanted to become the President of South Korea.

• An avid cat lover, she owns two pet cats named Tash and Zhushi.
  

  Jung Ho-yeon talking about her pet cats in an Instagram post

• While travelling, she loves listening to random music, from Korean pop to Brit pop and American pop. She also carries a massage roller during her travels.

• She keeps two iPhones, one to be used in Korea, and the other in the United States.