Cover SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) HoYeon Jung arrives at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards at Barker Hangar on February 27, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white) HoYeon Jung arrives at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards at Barker Hangar on February 27, 2022 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
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The South Korean model and actress makes it a point to keep herself grounded amid a thriving international career. Here's how she does it
I don't watch a lot of K-dramas, and I'm not familiar with a lot of Korean stars, but the one name I know for sure? Jung Ho-Yeon. There are plenty of things to admire about the young South Korean model and actress. Beauty aside, she's incredibly talented: her first acting performance in Squid Game was impeccable and earned her a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Through it all, she's remained grounded, always ready to flash a sweet smile to the camera, and never quite forgetting how it is to empathise or be relatable.
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Above Ho-Yeon is IAM Worldwide's newest ambassador
Ho-Yeon is IAM Worldwide's newest ambassador
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As the first South Korean ambassador to the Filipino brand, IAMWorldwide, Ho-Yeon had the opportunity to visit the country and be interviewed by a television host, Sam Oh. During their talk, Ho-Yeon revealed how vital empathy was to her. Like her character in Squid Game, Ho-Yeon had to move to a foreign country while young. "[I] had to go to this foreign place with a different culture, to earn money and live there. That was what [I] related to the most with Sae-Byeok (who was a North Korean defector on the show)," she revealed.
Once a fish out of the water, Ho-Yeon now enjoys a thriving international career. But it hasn't allowed her to forget the importance of keeping one's feet on the ground. "Something she likes to talk about with her friends is this feeling of empathising with each other because she feels that everyone is getting busier by the day, we’re not as interested in each other’s lives, and we’re losing the ability to empathise with each other," said Sam Oh, in translation. "So [Ho-Yeon] would like to be more interested in the things going on around the world, around her, and in the lives of the people she cares about."
Above Ho-Yeon with host, Sam Oh
Ho-Yeon with host, Sam Oh
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A closer look at Ho-Yeon's character also reveals a rational side to the young A-lister. She isn't one to be too impulsive, and her attitude towards life and her career is one that is slow-paced and well-thought-out. "[I] make a lot of effort to keep [myself] grounded," Ho-Yeon said in Korean. "It’s really about taking time for myself, because [I] need to understand what is happening to [me], what the experience is that [I'm] having, what emotions [I'm] feeling. [I] need to take time out to process all of that and arrange my thoughts. [Afterwards, I ask myself]: what [am I] going to do now moving forward? It's not about planning out [my] next steps, but giving [myself] that mental and emotional space."
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For someone who has three acting projects currently in the works—the Apple TV+ series Disclaimer with Cate Blanchett, The Governesses with Lily Rose Depp, and a Netflix Korea show with a title that roughly translates to Korean Fried Chicken—this strategy seems to suit her well. She likes to get to know her characters before taking them on, giving herself the opportunity to meet them at different times and through different perspectives. Perhaps this is what ultimately led her to accomplish such a mesmerising portrayal in Squid Game.
Above LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was converted to black and white. Color version available.) HoYeon Jung attends the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: (EDITORS NOTE: This image was converted to black and white. Color version available.) HoYeon Jung attends the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Now as the year wraps up, Ho-Yeon counts down some of her favourite moments: bringing her mom to the Emmy Awards, her win at the SAG Awards, working with Cate Blanchett on Disclaimer, and of course, seeing her Filipino fans. Very sweetly, she says that she wishes she could give more hugs to her fans. But virus notwithstanding, Ho-Yeon is incredibly happy to have been here. "I'm going to come back no matter what," she smiled.
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