Jun Ji Hyun

Biography

Jun Ji-hyun, also known by her English name Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model, born Wang Ji-hyun on October 30, 1981, in Seoul, South Korea. She began her career as a model for Ecole Magazine in 1997 at the age of 16 and made her acting debut soon afterward. She later studied Theater and Film at Dongguk University.

Her breakthrough came with the romantic comedy My Sassy Girl (2001), which became a major success across Asia and established her as one of South Korea's leading actresses. She subsequently starred in films such as Windstruck (2004), Daisy (2006), The Thieves (2012), The Berlin File (2013), and Assassination (2015).

Jun also achieved major television success with My Love from the Star (2013–2014), playing the famous actress Cheon Song-yi. She later starred in The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–2017), Jirisan (2021), and appeared as Ashin in the Kingdom universe.

Her international film work includes Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011). She has received numerous accolades, including two Grand Bell Awards for Best Actress and a Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) for television.

More recently, Jun starred as Seo Mun-joo, a former diplomat drawn into a dangerous international conspiracy, in the thriller series Tempest (2025). She also appears in the 2026 science-fiction film Colony.

With a career spanning nearly three decades, Jun Ji-hyun has become one of the most recognizable stars of the Korean Wave (Hallyu), known for her versatility across romantic comedy, action, thriller, fantasy, historical drama, and science fiction.