Jung Ryeo-won
Australian entertainer (born 1981)
title: "Jung Ryeo-won" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1981-births", "k-pop-singers", "living-people", "actresses-from-seoul", "singers-from-seoul", "south-korean-female-idols", "south-korean-women-pop-singers", "people-educated-at-macgregor-state-high-school", "griffith-university-alumni", "korea-university-alumni", "south-korean-emigrants-to-australia", "south-korean-film-actresses", "south-korean-television-actresses", "south-korean-web-series-actresses", "australian-people-of-south-korean-descent", "21st-century-south-korean-actresses", "21st-century-south-korean-women-singers", "best-new-actress-blue-dragon-film-awards-winners", "actresses-from-brisbane"] description: "Australian entertainer (born 1981)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung_Ryeo-won" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Australian entertainer (born 1981) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Jung Ryeo-won |
| image | Jung Ryeo-won in January 2023.png |
| caption | Jung in January 2023 |
| other_names | Yoana Jung |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Seoul, South Korea |
| citizenship | |
| education | Griffith University (International Business) |
| occupation | |
| years_active | 2000–present |
| agent | Blitzway Entertainment |
| signature | Jung Ryeo-won signature.svg |
| signature_size | 200px |
| website | |
| module | {{Infobox musical artist |
| genre | K-pop |
| instrument | Vocals |
| years_active | 2000–2004 |
| label | |
| past_member_of | Chakra |
| module2 | {{Infobox Korean name/auto |
| hangul | %정려원 |
| :: |
| name = Jung Ryeo-won | image = Jung Ryeo-won in January 2023.png | caption = Jung in January 2023 | other_names = Yoana Jung | birth_date = | birth_place = Seoul, South Korea | citizenship = | education = Griffith University (International Business) | occupation = | years_active = 2000–present | agent = Blitzway Entertainment | signature = Jung Ryeo-won signature.svg | signature_size = 200px | website = | module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes | genre = K-pop | instrument = Vocals | years_active = 2000–2004 | label = | past_member_of = Chakra | module2 = {{Infobox Korean name/auto|child=yes|headercolor=transparent | hangul = %정려원
Jung Ryeo-won (; born January 21, 1981) is an Australian actress and former singer based in South Korea. She began her career as a singer in the girl group Chakra. Following their disbandment of the group, she transitioned to an actress where she rose to fame in the hit television series My Name Is Kim Sam-soon (2005). She is also known for her roles in Two Faces of My Girlfriend (2007), Castaway on the Moon (2009), History of a Salaryman (2012) and Wok of Love (2018).
Early life
The second of three children, Jung Ryeo-won was born in 1981, and emigrated to Brisbane, Australia in 1991 with her family. By junior high school, she had adapted to the Australian way of life. She graduated from Griffith University with a major in international business.
Career
2000–2004: Debut with Chakra
While an exchange student at Korea University from Griffith University in the 2000s, Jung was discovered on the streets of Apgujeong by Lee Sang-min, changing her life and career path. She was placed in the K-pop girl group Chakra, along with Eeni, Eun and Hwangbo; their first album was released in 2000. Jung said her morale was at a low in 2002, saying she sometimes felt alienated from her fellow Koreans and felt uncomfortable with the sexy clothes she had to wear as a singer.
2005–2012: Transitioning to acting
Chakra disbanded in 2004, and Jung pursued acting full-time. After undergoing 11 unsuccessful auditions that year, she said she began doubting her decision to become an actress. In 2005, she gained recognition in the cult vampire sitcom Hello Franceska, and then made her breakthrough in the romantic comedy My Name Is Kim Sam-soon. The series was a massive success with average ratings of over 37% and 50.5% for the finale. Jung was praised for her portrayal of a fragile but good-natured character who fights for the hero's love, and eventually became one of the few successful singer-turned-actresses in the country.
Her follow-up series Autumn Shower received low ratings, but she rebounded with Which Star Are You From?, in which she played a country bumpkin living in the mountains of Gangwon Province. She was cast in her first movie leading role as a girl with multiple personality disorder in 2007's Two Faces of My Girlfriend, and though it was not a box office hit, she won Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
| image1 = Jung Ryeo-Won in 2008.jpg | image2 = Jung Ryeo-won.jpg | footer = Jung in 2008 and 2009 | footer_align = center | image3 = | align = left | total_width = 300
As the titular character in 2009's Princess Jamyung, Jung starred in her first period drama. She then played a hikikomori in Castaway on the Moon, arguably her most notable film yet.
Both her 2011 big screen projects had elements of romance. She played a teacher in a small South Korean village who meets a North Korean officer in the Korean War comedy/drama In Love and War, and in Kwak Kyung-taek's melodrama Pained, she played a hemophiliac who falls for her opposite, a man with analgesia, the inability to sense physical pain.
Jung began 2012 by starring as the heroine in the quirky series History of a Salaryman. Playing one of the most unusual female characters in Korean drama history, she delivered a fun, no-holds-barred performance as a red-haired, constantly swearing, selfish, reckless, rich snob, but injected heart and raw emotion into a character that could've otherwise been very unlikable. Critics and audiences were impressed with her performance, and her series nabbed the top spot on the Monday and Tuesday primetime ratings lineup while she later won a Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards.
She then starred in Never Ending Story, a romantic comedy about two people diagnosed with terminal illness who decide to spend their remaining time together preparing for death. In June 2012, Jung's contract with Won Entertainment expired and she signed with Bae Yong-joon's agency, KeyEast. Later that year, she played an idealistic screenwriter in The King of Dramas.
2013–2017: Acting setback
In January 2013, Jung unveiled her official website, through which she hopes to connect with her fans. Messages from the actress are uploaded in the "From rw" section. She then reunited with Pained costar Kwon Sang-woo in the medical drama Medical Top Team, playing a charismatic and ambitious thoracic surgeon.
Jung next played an impatient and careless radio producer in the cable series Bubble Gum in 2015; she and co-star Lee Dong-wook previously appeared together in the 2003 sitcom Do the Right Thing. In 2017, she starred in the legal procedural drama, Witch at Court, playing a highly ambitious prosecutor who speaks her mind and is known for her aggressive investigation tactics. For her portrayal, she received the Top Excellence Award at the 2017 KBS Drama Awards.
2018–present: Return to television and continued work
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/(Marie_Claire_Korea)새로_보이는_것들-정려원(2).jpg" caption="Jung for ''[[Marie Claire Korea]]'' in 2018"] ::
In 2018, Jung starred in the black comedy film Gate. She then starred in the SBS' gastronomy drama Wok of Love.
In 2019, Jung starred in the legal television series Prosecutor Civil War.
In September 2020, Jung's contract with KeyEast expired. She subsequently signed with H & Entertainment. In July 2022, Jung renewed her contract with H & Entertainment.
Other activities
Art
Jung published Ryeo-won's Sketchbook in 2007, which contained her drawings and writings about her Christian faith. Though she hasn't received formal instruction in fine arts, Jung likes to express herself through drawing in her spare time. Two of her artwork pieces were sold at a charity auction in 2012.
Hosting
In March 2014, Jung began hosting Art Star Korea on cable channel StoryOn, an audition program/reality show featuring contemporary artists. She also participated in the program Living Together ().
Philanthropy
On February 10, 2023, Jung donated 50 million won to help the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, by donating money through World Vision.
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | 2002 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 | 2012 | 2018 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Act 19 | Chakra as themselves | Cameo appearance | ||||||||||
| My Boyfriend Is Type B | Bu-young | |||||||||||
| Two Faces of My Girlfriend | A-ni / Ha-ni / Yu-ri | |||||||||||
| Castaway on the Moon | Kim Jung-yeon | |||||||||||
| In Love and War | Seol-hee | |||||||||||
| Pained | Dong-hyun | |||||||||||
| Never Ending Story | Oh Song-kyung | |||||||||||
| Gate | So-eun | |||||||||||
| Woman in a White Car | Do Gyoung | Premiered at 26th BIFAN | ||||||||||
| :: |
Television series
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2009 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxophone and Chapssaltteok | Park Ja-nam | |||||||||||||||
| Drama City: | ||||||||||||||||
| "I Met Her at the Swimming Pool" | Hee-jin | |||||||||||||||
| Do the Right Thing | Ryeo-won | |||||||||||||||
| Argon | Kwon Soo-hyun | |||||||||||||||
| Father of the Sea | Joo-hong | |||||||||||||||
| Banjun Drama: | ||||||||||||||||
| "Exclusive Love" | ||||||||||||||||
| Hello Franceska | Elizabeth | |||||||||||||||
| Banjun Drama: | ||||||||||||||||
| "Get That Girl" | ||||||||||||||||
| Banjun Drama: | ||||||||||||||||
| "To Go Bungee Jump" | ||||||||||||||||
| MBC Best Theater: | ||||||||||||||||
| "Magic Power of Alcohol" | ||||||||||||||||
| My Name Is Kim Sam-soon | Yoo Hee-jin | |||||||||||||||
| Autumn Shower | Park Yeon-seo | |||||||||||||||
| Which Star Are You From | Kim Bok-shil / Lee Hye-soo / Lee Hae-rim | |||||||||||||||
| Ja Myung Go | Princess Jamyung | |||||||||||||||
| History of a Salaryman | Baek Yeo-chi | |||||||||||||||
| The King of Dramas | Lee Go-eun | |||||||||||||||
| Medical Top Team | Seo Joo-young | |||||||||||||||
| Bubble Gum | Kim Haeng-ah | |||||||||||||||
| Witch at Court | Ma Yi-deum | |||||||||||||||
| Wok of Love | Dan Se-woo | |||||||||||||||
| Diary of a Prosecutor | Cha Myeong-joo | |||||||||||||||
| The Midnight Romance in Hagwon | Seo Hye-jin | |||||||||||||||
| The Couple Are Playing | Yoon Hye-ja | |||||||||||||||
| :: |
Web series
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May It Please the Court | Noh Chak-hee | |||
| :: |
Music video appearances
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Artist | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "One" | Epik High | |||||
| "As a Man" | Gummy | |||||
| "Can't Be Crazy" | Alex Chu | |||||
| "Lost in Perspective" | Nell | |||||
| :: |
Discography
Soundtrack appearances
::data[format=table title="List of soundtrack appearances, showing year released, selected chart positions, and name of the album"] | Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | KOR | "Wedding Song" (with Uhm Tae-woong) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2012 | — | Never Ending Story OST | | | | | "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | | | | | | ::
Book
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Ref. | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryeowon's Sketchbook | Duranno Publishing | ||||
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table title="Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination"]
Listicles
::data[format=table title="Name of publisher, year listed, name of [[listicle]], and placement"]
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean Film Council | 2021 | Korean Actors 200 | ||
| :: |
Notes
References
References
- "JUNG Ryeo-won".
- Kim. Eun-tae. [[Edaily]]. (March 28, 2025). link
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- Cho, Chung-un. (July 22, 2005). "Former K-pop star Jung Ryeo-won makes successful debut as actress". [[The Korea Herald]].
- link. (December 14, 2004)
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- (July 22, 2005). "''My Lovely Samsoon'' Ends With 50 Pct Ratings". [[The Korea Times]] via [[Hancinema]].
- (December 2, 2006). "Singers-Turned-Actors: the Best and the Worst". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
- link. (November 21, 2005)
- (February 14, 2008). "An interview of Jung Ryo-won From ''Which Star Are You From''". MBC Global Media.
- Lee, Ga-on. (May 24, 2011). "Actress Jung Ryeo-won's Song Picks". 10Asia.
- (August 23, 2007). "Singer-turned-actor Jeong Ryeo-won". [[The Dong-A Ilbo]].
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- (November 24, 2007). "Korea acknowledges ''Show Must Go On''".
- (November 25, 2007). "Korea's Dragons roar for ''Show''".
- (March 7, 2009). "Jung Ryeo-won to Make Her Period Soap Opera Debut". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
- Han, Sang-hee. (March 3, 2009). "Drum Brings Tale of Lost Kingdom". [[The Korea Times]].
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- Han, Yeo-wool. (January 2, 2012). "PREVIEW: SBS TV series ''Salaryman, Cho Han Ji''". 10Asia.
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- Kang, Jung-yeon. (July 25, 2013). "Jung Ryeo-won Cast in Kwone Sang-woo's Medical Drama". 10Asia.
- (July 23, 2015). "Acting pair to share the screen again".
- (December 14, 2017). "[Herald Interview] Jung Ryeo-won on the joy of finding strong female character". [[Kpop Herald]].
- (February 19, 2018). "Open 'Gate' for comic satire of reality".
- (March 21, 2018). "[SBS Star] Jung Ryeo Won Confirms to Join New SBS Drama".
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- Kim, Hee-eun. (March 21, 2014). "Reality art show creates excitement, controversy". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
- Kwon, Mee-yoo. (March 31, 2014). "Art, reality TV begin strange coexistence". [[The Korea Times]].
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- 조선일보. (2021-01-18). "[공식] 영화진흥위원회, 韓배우 200인 선정..'Korean Actors 200' 해외 홍보 나선다".
- "KOREAN ACTORS 200".
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