Kwon Yu-ri

Kwon Yu-ri, known mononymously as Yuri, is a South Korean singer, actress, and songwriter. She is best known as a member of the South Korean girl group Girls' Generation and its subgroup Girls' Generation-Oh!GG. Alongside her ensemble accomplishments, she has developed an extensive career as a television, film, and stage actress, while also releasing solo music and contributing as a songwriter.

Yuri was born on December 5, 1989, in Deogyang District, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, where she grew up alongside her older brother. She auditioned for the SM Entertainment Casting System and joined the company in 2001 after placing second in the SM Youth Best Dancer Contest. Following five years and eleven months of training, she graduated from Neunggok High School in 2008. She later attended Chung-Ang University, serving as an ambassador for the institution and graduating in February 2016 with a degree in Theater and Film alongside a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Yuri officially debuted with Girls' Generation in August 2007. She soon expanded into individual activities, playing a recurring role in the 2008 sitcom Unstoppable Marriage and making a cameo appearance in the film Attack on the Pin-Up Boys. She gained further exposure on television as a co-host for MBC's Show! Music Core and as a cast member on the reality show Invincible Youth, which earned her a nomination for Best Female MC at the 2010 KBS Entertainment Awards. As a songwriter, she wrote lyrics for several of her group's releases, including the track Mistake as well as co-writing Baby Maybe and XYZ.

She launched her television acting career in the 2012 drama Fashion King, earning the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2013, she made her feature film debut in the swimming-themed movie No Breathing, portraying a musician and singing two songs for the soundtrack. Yuri subsequently starred in series such as Local Hero, Gogh, The Starry Night, Innocent Defendant, Dae Jang Geum Is Watching, Good Job, and Parole Examiner Lee. Her lead performance in the 2021 drama Bossam: Steal the Fate helped set a historical viewership record for the MBN network. In October 2018, she launched her solo music career with the six-track extended play The First Scene, which reached number two on the Gaon Album Chart.

In 2019, Yuri made her theatrical stage debut in the play Grandpa Henry and Me. She returned to cinema in the independent film Dolphin, receiving a nomination for Best New Actress at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and later appeared in the 2024 film Somebody. Her stage career continued with her casting in the 2026 thriller play The Wasp. In July 2026, SM Entertainment announced that Yuri's exclusive contract with the agency would conclude in August, while confirming that she would remain a member of Girls' Generation.