10 K-drama actresses who started out as models, from Song Hye-kyo and Squid Game’s HoYeon Jung, to Jun Ji-hyun and the ‘Gigi Hadid of South Korea’, Lee Sung-kyung

Nov 22 , 2021

K-drama actresses Jung Ho-yeon, Song Hye-kyo and Jun Ji-hyun all got their starts in the industry as models. Photos: @hoooooyeony, @kyo1122/Instagram; Alexander McQueen

Descendants of the Sun actress Song Hye-kyo started her career at 14 years old, and recently became Fendi’s first Korean global ambassador

Shin Min-ah once did a Calvin Klein shoot with Hollywood star Jamie Dornan while Alexander McQueen ambassador Jun Ji-hyun is South Korea’s highest-paid celebrity in 2021

The Hallyu – or Korean Wave – pipeline has given us some of the industry’s most famous and bankable leading ladies. While some were K-pop idols first, others got their start in showbiz as head-turning models before making it on the big screen.

Meet the South Korean actresses who began their careers as commercial and print ad models.

Jun Ji-hyun

Before dipping her toes into the K-drama world and becoming one of its highest-paid actresses, Jun Ji-hyun established herself as a fashion icon, appearing on the cover of Ecole magazine in 1997 and pursuing more modelling gigs that eventually landed her a Samsung MyJet printer commercial, catapulting her to fame.

Cha Tae-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun in a still from My Sassy Girl (2001). Photo: Handout

Following her popularity, she was given the lead role in the highest-grossing Korean romantic comedy film of all time, My Sassy Girl (2001). which also earned her the titles “nation’s first love” and “Korea’s sweetheart”. She eventually made her Hollywood debut in Blood: The Last Vampire (2009) and appeared in more chart-topping K-dramas such as My Love From the Star (2013) and Legend of the Blue Sea (2016).

With her career spanning more than two decades, Jun is not only popular in South Korea, but throughout Asia. She’s cultivated such a strong fan base that almost all the products she endorses sell out like hot cakes, not only in South Korea but even overseas.

Jun Ji-hyun modelling for Giordano. Photo: Giordano

The Hallyu star is known as the first-ever Korean actress to be photographed for American Vogue. She also appeared on the cover of many other prestigious fashion magazines such as Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, W and Marie Claire.

Proving her enduring star power, British luxury brand Alexander McQueen appointed her as their first Korean ambassador in 2020. According to AllKpop, Jun was named the highest-paid Korean celebrity of 2021, earning around US$14.7 million that year.