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| Jeon Ji Hyun Information |
| Biography |
• Early career
Jun was born Wang Ji Hyun in Seoul, South Korea on October 30, 1981. She went to Jinsun High School and
started a Mass Communication and Performance degree in Dongguk University.
Ji Hyun's childhood dream was to be an airhostess but at the age of 16, a neighbour introduced her to the world
of modelling and she has never looked back. She started her career as a model in 1997, appearing in various
commercials and magazines, most noticeably as the cover girl for 'Ecole'.
In 1998, she made her first Korean TV debut in the little heard MBC sitcom, 'The Seasons of Puberty'. She then
starred in 'Steal My Heart', a little known SBS TV series where she starred alongside actor Park Shin Yang. She
also worked as an MC for various variety shows including the SBS music show, 'Inki Gayo'.
Another TV series followed in 1999 with 'Happy Together', alongside a cast which was soon to become Korea's
most popular actors. Her performance as the fragile but tough teenager earned her the Best New Actress award
at SBS Actors Awards.
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• Film career
Her film debut came in 1999, with the little seen 'White Valentine', again paired with Park Shin Yang. It's a story
of a young woman who falls in love with a man doing his military service. The film received favorable reviews but
it was not until later in the year when she was featured in an advertisement for 'Samsung MyJet' that she became
a popular sensation. The dancing and the attitude expressed in the ad made her into an icon for Korean's in their
late teens and early twenties.
Ji Hyun made her first well-publicized film appearance in late 2000 with 'Il Mare', co-starring Lee Jung Jae. A
handsomely-shot melodrama set on Kanghwa Island, the film did respectably well at the box office and solidified
her status as a star, earning her a Blue Dragon Award for Best New Actress.
However, it was 2001's 'My Sassy Girl' that shot her to stardom. The film was number 1 for six straight weeks in
Korea and her portrayal of the titular sassy girl was the best performance of the film, not to mention the great
chemistry with her equally talented co-star Cha Tae Hyun. The film spent two weeks at number 1 in Hong Kong and
turned her into one of Korea's most recognisable star in the Chinese-language market. Her performance
earned her both the Best Actress and the People's Choice Award at the Daejong Film Festival.
Year 2003 reunited her with Park Shin Yang in the thriller 'The Uninvited', which marks Lee So Yeon's directing
debut. In the film, Ji Hyun was almost unrecognisable as the soft spoken Yeon. She played the character as being
very frightened by the uncontrollable vision she sees, while at the same time being a bit spooky herself. Even
though it was not as successful as her previous films, it marked as a career turn for Ji Hyun, proving that she
could take on a variety of roles.
The successful film 'Windstruck' followed in 2004, co-starring Jang Hyuk. The film also reunited her with My
Sassy Girl director Kwak Jae Young. She was cast in a role of a tough policewoman but many viewers felt the
character and plot was too similar to My Sassy Girl, sparking a debate whether the film is a prequel or sequel.
Nonetheless, Windstruck became one of the best performing Korean film in Japan, where My Sassy Girl was
not as well known.
In 2006, she headlined 'Daisy', a South Korea/Hong Kong collaboration about a detective and an assasin who
falls in love with the same girl. The movie teams her up with her CF partner Jung Woo Sung and has drawn
attention for its 100% location shooting in the Netherlands and for using the Hong Kong director Andrew Lau,
known for his work in the international blockbuster Infernal Affairs. Despite the disappointing reviews, she
recieved a nomination for Best Actress at the Daejong Film Festival and has even opened new opportunities
for her in the foreign market.
After numerous rumors of a Hollywood advance, it was officially announced in early 2007 that she will star
as the vampire slayer Saya, in the live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese anime 'Blood: The Last
Vampire' under the direction of French film maker, Chris Nahon. Filming began in May 2007 and was completeD
in August. Currently in post-production, it is expected for a release in mid 2008 with the US as its target
market.
She recently returned to her homeland to star in her next Korean film titled 'A Man Once A Superman' in which
she'll play a snobbish producer who makes a documentary about the extraordinary behaviour of her neighbour
who believes himself to be Superman. The film will see Ji Hyun alongside actor Hwang Jung Min and will
be directed by director Jung Yoon Chul.
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• Modeling Career
The success of her films made Ji Hyun a constant presence in TV ads and on billboards in South Korea and
also on neighbouring countries. Since her debut as a cover girl for 'Ecole', Ji Hyun was a model for many
fashion companies. Some of her most popular endorsements includes Giordano, Laneige and Samsung.
In 2004, one of her Giordano advertisement was considered too sexy by the censors and was banned from
Korean television. Even one of her Olympus advertisement was only shown late at night for, again being too
sensual. Despite being 'too sexy' for TV, she has maintained a strict policy of remaining fully-clothed for any
photoshoots she takes part in, giving off a sexy vibe but still maintains the purity and innocence she posesses.
Her seasonal advertisements for Olympus helped the company earn the top place in the domestic market
for four years and earned her the nickname 'dika queen' (digital camera queen). The brand Olympus was even
considered by many 'made in Korea'. Although no one could confirm if her presence on those advertisements
contributed to the success of their sales, companies just couldn't get enough of her. They even described it
as the 'Jeon Ji Hyun Effect'. VK Mobile proved how powerful the effect was. It's officials said that after featuring
her in its commercials in China, they saw its first quarter sales soar 40%.
More and more companies wanted a taste of the 'Power of Jeon'. During 2002 to 2004, she would normally
be seen taking pictures with an Olympus digital camera, fluttering her lashes with Laneige mascara and
even doing web searches on local browser Naver. Companies from neighbouring countries also hired her
hoping to have the same effect. Ji Hyun turned sassy once again for Coca Cola in Taiwan, felt the coolness
of China's Midea Aircon and showed off her long luxurious hair for Pantene China.
She has always been active on online polls, being voted as having the Best Butt in Korea in 2004, polling 41%
of the total votes and again in 2007 getting 753 votes out of 1463 votes cast. She was and still present in various Most Beautiful,
Most Popular and Most Talented lists and currently holds the title of Korea's CF Queen.
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Blood: The Last Vampire (2008)
A Man Once A Superman (2008)
Daisy (2006)