I. Get To Know Her
Jun Ji-Hyun was born Wang Ji-Hyun on October 30, 1981, in Seoul, South Korea.
As a young girl, she yearned to become a flight attendant, though her mother and friends motivated her to endeavour into modelling and acting.
At the age of 16, she got introduced to a photographer by one of her high school friends who were already into modelling. From then on she would gradually garner attention as a commercial model and despite her debut in both films and TV in the late 1990s she strived to make a mark as an actress.
In 1999 she became an instant sensation! Drawing the young generation with her pose, posture and dance moves in a commercial for Samsung My Jet Printer.
Jun Ji-Hyun's dreams came true when her big break came after a couple of years with the mega-blockbuster hit rom-com ‘My Sassy Girl’ that emerged as one of the all-time highest-grossing Korean comedies. ‘My Sassy Girl’ led her to pan-Asia stardom. The flick not only cemented her position as a Korean star but also transpired her among the top Hallyu stars in the Chinese-language market.
This mega-blockbuster hit also earned her the nickname in Korea as, “Nation’s First Love”.
Such success paved her way for many other notable works including in films like ‘Assassination’, ‘The Thieves’; and TV series like ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’ and ‘My Love from the Star’ which gained Jun Ji-Hyun international acclaim and cemented her position as one of the top Hallyu stars.
In 2020 she made her big appearance in one of the most talked-about Netflix shows, ‘Kingdom’ where she will reprise her role in the prequel and ‘Cliffhanger’ being her follow-up role in 2022.
She has since been leaving her mark in the Korean entertainment industry and is still one of the most influential Korean stars.
II. Filmography
| Year | Film Title |
|---|---|
| 1999 | White Valentine |
| 2000 | II Mare (A Love Story) |
| 2001 | My Sassy Girl |
| 2003 | The Uninvited |
| 2004 | Windstruck |
| 2006 | Daisy |
| 2008 | A Man Who Was Superman |
| 2009 | Blood: The Last Vampire |
| 2011 | Snow Flower and the Secret Fan |
| 2012 | The Thieves |
| 2013 | The Berlin Fire |
| 2015 | Assassination |
| Year | Tv Series Title |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Fascinate My Heart |
| 1999 | Happy Together |
| 2013-2014 | My Love From Another Star |
| 2016-2017 | Legend of the Blue Sea |
| 2020 | Kingdom |
| 2021 | Kingdom: Ashin of The North |
| 2021 | Cliffhanger |
Awards & Nominations
III. Music Video Appearances
IV. Facts
- Jun Ji-hyun’s first debut interview
- She is also known as Gianna Jun.
- She is a Buddhist.
- Her favourite colour is white.
- She was once an emcee for SBS’s “Inkigayo.”
- In 1997 she was discovered by a fashion editor and signed her first modelling contract.
- She was pregnant while filming the movie “Assassination”.
- During her childhood, Jun Ji Hyun dreamed of becoming a flight attendant. However, after a plane flight experience, she gave up this dream.
- Jun Ji Hyun married her long-time friend Choi Joon-hyuk on April 13th, 2012 at the world-famous Shilla Hotel.
- She launched her own luxury jeans brand, “Gianna by True Religion”.
- She has two children.
- She is referred to as one of "The Troika" along with Kim Tae-hee and Song Hye-kyo, collectively known by the acronym "Tae-Hye-Ji".
