Hoyeon Jung has become the first South Korean person to grace the cover of Vogue magazine solo.
The model-turned-actress, who vaulted to international fame for her role in Netflix’s series “Squid Game,” has become the most-followed Korean actress on Instagram with 23.7 million followers, CNN reported.
Her performance as the North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok turned her into one of the show’s breakout stars, the network reported.
The 27-year-old is the cover star of Vogue’s February 2022 issue.
From #SquidGame to Supernova! Overnight success isn’t new, but model-turned-actor Hoyeon Jung's vertiginous climb feels entirely of the moment. Vogue’s February issue steps inside the whirlwind with the heart-on-her-sleeve megastar.
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) January 5, 2022
Read the full profile: https://t.co/CD59bKyTvE pic.twitter.com/yNc6pVs0Yv
“Even if eight people loved me and only two people hated me, I always cried, at home alone,” Jung told Vogue. “Even now, I struggle with low-self-esteem.”
In her interview with writer Monica Kim, Jung talked about her rise through the ranks of the fashion world, the isolation she felt when modeling jobs dwindled and her resurgence thanks to “Squid Game.”
A few years after Jung placed second on “Korea’s Next Top Model” at age 19, she moved to New York, CNN reported. But after 2019, she was not in demand so she took up acting. The results have been overwhelming.
“The feeling, there’s a limit to what words can express,” Jung told Vogue, adding that she lost 8 pounds. “I don’t know why, but I couldn’t eat. I was so confused, and it was so chaotic. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t trust it.”
Jung said her family kept her grounded after her recent success.
“My mom did joke that my acting was very realistic, like when I’m being mean to her,” Jung told Vogue. “My younger sister never really took an interest in my career. She just thinks of me as her older sibling, so when she told me that my acting was ‘not that bad’ in ‘Squid Game,’ I was quite surprised.”
©2022 Cox Media Group
