Known for portraying Na Bo-ra from 20th Century Girl, Kim Yoo Jung is one of the freshest faces of South Korean cinema. Being the youngest actress to be a part of the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity List, there’s certainly something special about the Golden Rainbow actress.
Kim Yoo Jung is often referred to as “Nations Younger Sister,” partly because of the multiple dramas she was a part of during her childhood years. Asides from being the nation’s young sister, Kim Yoo Jung is the youngest of all her siblings as well. Her elder sister, Kim Yoo Jung, is an actor as well and can be seen in the 2017 drama Secret Crushes. When Kim Yoo Jung was just four years old, she was cast in dramas and movies and was for some time the most sought-after child actress.
After four more years in the industry, Kim Yoo Jung was awarded the Best Child Actress Award for her roles in the shows Painter of The Wind and Iljimae. This led to her popularity increasing, after which she was also seen in dramas like Dong Yi, Moon Embracing The Sun, and the film Commitment. She was already a well-known actress, but it was 20th Century Girl that gave Kim Yoo Jung the fame she needed to be recognized at an international level.
Kim Yoo Jung: From A Child Actor To A Worldwide Crush
Born on September 22nd, 1999, Kim was brought up in Seomgdong District in Seoul and attended Goyang High School of Arts before shifting her focus completely toward her acting career. She first debuted in 2003 but gained recognition in 2008 after getting receiving awards.
The 2010s were filled with hit projects for Kim Yoo Jung, and she was able to be a part of well-known dramas like Flames of Desire and Grudge: Revolt of Gumiho. Grudge was the first project where Kim Yoo Jung starred as the main protagonist herself and not as a supporting child actress.
In 2012, Kim Yoo Jung was awarded a Baeksang Arts Award, K-Drama Star Award, as well as an MBC Drama Award for her role in Moon Embracing The Sun. Following this, she starred in May Queen and Golden Rainbow, both of which were hits among their target audience. Kim Joo Yung can slip into a role so seamlessly that when she was cast to play a bully in Thread of Lies, her acting drew tons of attention, and she ended up winning a Blue Dragon Film Award for the part in 2014.
That same year, Kim Yoo Jung was made to play the host of Inkigayo, which she stayed in until 2016. When she started being a part of dramas in 2015, she was mostly seen portraying the lead roles instead of a young side character. This took off with the drama Angry Mom and Love Cells. Yoo Jung also starred in the drama Love In The Moonlight in 2016, a show that was so popular that it even had a syndrome based on its name. She then proceeded to be a part of the 2018 drama Clean With Passion For Now and Backstreet Rookie in 2020.
What’s Kim Yoo Jung’s Net Worth?
Being a part of several dramas and films has led to the 23-year-old actress having gained a net worth of $6-$7 Million, despite being so young. For her role as the teenage version of Baek-won in Golden Rainbow, Yoo Jung reportedly was paid around $5,650 for each episode she starred in. Aside from this, the South Korean actress was also paid hefty amounts for being a part of 20th Century Girl.
In 2021, Kim Yoo Jung started appearing in TV shows that were created by Netflix. For instance, her first show with the streaming giant was The 8th Night, a mystery thriller in which she starred as a psychic. A year later, she was seen preparing for an entertainment program by TVING, which was called Young Actors’ Retreat.
After her part in 20th Century Girl became widely famous, she made her stage debut, which increased her net worth overall. The stage debut performance by Yoo Jung revolved around a play written by Kim Dong-yeon, for which the actress received praise from theatre critics. Kim Yoo Jung has also been an active philanthropist and donated almost 30 Million won to support children in 2021. With the way Kim Yoo Jung has gained enough popularity at a young age, we’ll hopefully see her add to her existing legacy as the years pass.
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