Jun Ji-hyun

Jun Ji-hyun, born Wang Ji-hyun on October 30, 1981, is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for her leading roles in major romantic comedy and action films, including My Sassy Girl, Il Mare, Windstruck, The Thieves, The Berlin File, and Assassination. She also achieved significant television success through dramas such as My Love from the Star and The Legend of the Blue Sea. Her accomplishments in entertainment established her as a leading hallyu star and a member of the prominent trio known as "The Troika," alongside Kim Tae-hee and Song Hye-kyo.

Raised in the Gangnam District of Seoul, Jun was encouraged by her mother and friends to pursue modeling due to her tall, slender physique. Although she originally aimed to become a flight attendant, she shifted her focus and began modeling for Ecole Magazine at age 16 in 191997. She made her acting debut in 1998, adopting her stage name at the suggestion of a television producer. She pursued higher education at Dongguk University, earning a bachelor's degree in Theater and Film in 2004 and a master's degree from the graduate school of Digital Media and Contents in 2011.

Jun initially gained widespread recognition through a popular 1999 Samsung printer commercial, which turned her into a youth icon. Her early film career picked up with the 2000 feature Il Mare, followed by her major breakthrough in the 2001 romantic comedy My Sassy Girl. The film became a massive box-office success across Asia, solidifying her fame and earning her a Best Actress award at the 2002 Grand Bell Awards. Over the following years, she starred in productions such as The Uninvited, Windstruck, and Daisy, alongside her continuous appearances in regional commercial campaigns.

In the late 2000s, Jun transitioned into international projects using the Westernized name Gianna Jun. She starred in the 2009 martial arts film Blood: The Last Vampire and the 2011 English-language drama Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. During this period, she launched her celebrity denim line Gianna by True Religion, starred in A Man Who Was Superman, and became the first South Korean actress photographed for the American edition of Vogue magazine.

Jun experienced a major career resurgence starting in 2012 with her role in the hit heist movie The Thieves, followed by the 2013 spy thriller The Berlin File. Her return to television in the fantasy series My Love from the Star became a cultural phenomenon, earning her the Grand Prize at the 2014 Baeksang Arts Awards and the SBS Drama Awards. She continued her success by starring in the 2015 historical action film Assassination—winning another Grand Bell Award for Best Actress—and the 2016 series The Legend of the Blue Sea.

Outside of acting, Jun is one of South Korea's highest-earning commercial figures and has served as a global ambassador for major luxury brands, including Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, La Mer, Louis Vuitton, and Piaget. She is also active in philanthropy, regularly donating to disaster relief and crisis funds. She married banker Choi Joon-hyuk in April 2012, and the couple has two sons, born in 2016 and 2018.

Following a short break from acting, Jun returned to television in 2021 with the Netflix special Kingdom: Ashin of the North and the mystery series Jirisan. In 2025, after ending her previous agency contract and establishing her own management agency named Peachy, she began production on the action horror film Colony.