The year she turned 16, in her first year of high school, she entered the 2nd SBS Super Model contest and won the Best Pose Award. In 1994 she became the first Korean model chosen as a Benetton model and went to Paris.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 18, she played a bus guide, paired with Lee Young-ja, in Yeongja’s Heyday on SBS’s Happy Saturday. This sketch made her name known. That summer she played the heroine in the film Declaration of Genius, her first film.
In 1996 she met Jung Sun-hee in Geumchon-daek’s People on KBS’s Super Sunday. In 1997 she hosted a segment named after herself, Hong Jin-kyung’s Catching Up with Stars.
In 2003 she married a businessman, and in August she went to New York and walked in New York Collection before returning two months later. In 2004 she founded Hong Jin-kyung Co., Ltd. and began selling her mother’s kimchi on home shopping. In 2005 she published the travel essay CmKm and launched dumplings too. In 2006 she won the Representative Brand Awards in the kimchi category.
In 2007 she became the DJ of KBS 2FM’s Hong Jin-kyung’s Music Plaza. In 2008 she released “Anam-dong,” a song she made herself. In 2010 she had a daughter, seven years after marrying. In 2011 she returned to radio with her own 2 p.m. show on KBS, and left in 2013 over her kimchi business in the United States.
In 2014 she appeared as Hong Bok-ja in SBS’s My Love from the Star. In 2015 she hosted the Hongprah Winfrey Show on MBC’s My Little Television. In 2016 she appeared in KBS’s Sister’s Slam Dunk and released “Shut Up” as Unnies. In 2018 she played Captain Hong in MBC’s Squeaky Heroes.
In 2020 she shot the Dazed Balenciaga pictorial and started Channel A’s Aero Couple. The year she turned 44, she started Study King Jin Genius Hong Jin-kyung. That year she won Brand of the Year Awards in two categories, passed 1 million subscribers in December and became a panelist on Netflix’s Single’s Inferno. In 2022 she started KBS’s Beat Coin with Kim Sook.
In 2023 she won the Excellence Award at the 1st Pinggyego Awards and the Excellence Award at the KBS Entertainment Awards. In 2024 Beat Coin ended after 70 episodes, and she won best female variety performer in television at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2025 she started Netflix’s Screwballs and KBS’s Problem Child in House season 2, and in August announced her divorce after 22 years of marriage. In December she won the Best Entertainer Award at the KBS Entertainment Awards. In 2026 she walked the Paris Fashion Week runway with Lee So-ra and started MBC’s Sora and Jin-kyung.
Hong Jin-kyung (born Dec 23, 1977) debuted with the Best Pose Award at the 2nd SBS Super Model contest in 1993, the year she turned 16, and became known in 1995, the year she turned 18, as Lee Young-ja’s partner in Yeongja’s Heyday on SBS’s Happy Saturday. She started a kimchi business in 2004, the year she turned 27, and began Study King Jin Genius Hong Jin-kyung on Feb 22, 2021, the year she turned 44.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
She entered the contest in her first year of high school, won the Best Pose Award and debuted as a model.
Source 01 · News1 (Korean) · Sora and Jin-kyung have a happy ending · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · The hand Lee Young-ja held out · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Hong Jin-kyung · opens in a new tab The date of the contest is not confirmed.She was chosen as the first Korean Benetton model and left for Paris. She was a high school student then.
Source 03 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Chosen as a Benetton model · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Leaving for Paris · opens in a new tabShe played a bus guide, paired with Lee Young-ja. This sketch made her name known.
She played the heroine in director Lee Jang-ho’s film. It was her first film role.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Declaration of Genius opens · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Declaration of Genius interview · opens in a new tab The opening date is the one scheduled in a pre-release article.She first met Jung Sun-hee in this sketch. In October 1996 another actress took over from Hong Jin-kyung as Lee Sun-i.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Dacom cyber drama · opens in a new tabSource 12 · Xportsnews (Korean) · 30 years with Jung Sun-hee · opens in a new tabShe hosted a segment named after herself.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · TV that pushes drinking · opens in a new tabThey married at Apgujeong Catholic Church in Seoul. They met through an older colleague in 1999 and dated for four years.
Source 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Marriage · opens in a new tabShe went to New York, signed with the agency Vision and walked in New York Collection in September. She returned after two months.
Source 15 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Going to New York · opens in a new tabSource 16 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Back from New York · opens in a new tabShe began selling her mother’s kimchi on home shopping. A November 2005 article says she sold about 1 billion won a month one year after starting.
Source 06 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Her life in genre pieces · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Newsen (Korean) · The kimchi factory boss · opens in a new tabSource 07 · Newsen (Korean) · 30th anniversary dinner show · opens in a new tab The founding date is not confirmed.She wrote it with Kim Jin-pyo, Nal, Jang Yoon-ju, Lim Sang-hyo and others. She was then an adjunct professor of Western art history at Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Source 18 · My Daily (Korean) · CmKm book party · opens in a new tabAfter kimchi she launched dumplings on CJ Home Shopping.
Source 19 · Money Today (Korean) · The Mandu · opens in a new tabShe received it as head of The Kimchi. The company projected 16 billion won in sales that year.
Source 20 · Nocut News (Korean) · Representative Brand Awards · opens in a new tabShe took over the noon show Music Plaza from Kim Gu-ra.
Source 21 · Nocut News (Korean) · DJ of Music Plaza · opens in a new tabIt is a ballad she made herself.
Source 22 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · “Anam-dong” · opens in a new tabShe took part in writing the words and music and sang it with Kim Kwang-jin.
Source 23 · Money Today (Korean) · “The Road to You” · opens in a new tabShe gave birth to a daughter seven years after marrying.
Source 24 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Birth of a daughter · opens in a new tabShe took over the 2 p.m. show in the autumn lineup.
Source 25 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · KBS Radio autumn lineup · opens in a new tabShe said she was setting up a local subsidiary for her kimchi business in Los Angeles in the United States and needed to stay abroad for long periods.
Source 26 · Nocut News (Korean) · Leaving Hong Jin-kyung at 2 O’Clock · opens in a new tabShe first appeared in episode 2 on Dec. 19, 2013, as a friend of Cheon Song-yi.
Source 27 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · First appearance in My Love from the Star · opens in a new tabSource 28 · MBN (Korean) · My Love from the Star finale · opens in a new tabShe appeared in a talk show format.
Source 29 · Korea Economic TV (Korean) · My Little Television · opens in a new tabShe appeared with Kim Sook, Ra Mi-ran, Min Hyo-rin, Jessi and Tiffany.
Source 30 · Korea Economic TV (Korean) · Sister’s Slam Dunk premiere · opens in a new tabIt was released by the girl group project of Sister’s Slam Dunk. It reached No. 1 on a music chart as soon as it came out.
Source 31 · Chosun Ilbo (Korean) · Unnies “Shut Up” · opens in a new tabShe released the double title tracks “Right?” and “LaLaLa Song” for season 2.
Source 32 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Unnies “Right?” · opens in a new tabShe played Captain Hong in a pilot variety show.
Source 33 · Sports Today (Korean) · Squeaky Heroes · opens in a new tabShe appeared as a headhunter with Park Sung-kwang, Boom and Oh Sang-jin.
Source 34 · Newsen (Korean) · Job Heaven: Good Job · opens in a new tabA pictorial shot in Balenciaga clothes ran in the March issue.
Source 35 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Balenciaga pictorial · opens in a new tabShe appeared as an MC of a talk show about couples.
Source 36 · My Daily (Korean) · Aero Couple · opens in a new tabIt started by releasing on Kakao TV first and then posting to her YouTube channel a week later.
Source 37 · YTN (Korean) · Study King Jin Genius Hong Jin-kyung debuts · opens in a new tabShe won in the female entertainer category and the celebrity YouTuber category.
Source 38 · Star Today (Korean) · Brand of the Year Awards · opens in a new tabShe was a panelist with Lee Da-hee, Kyuhyun and Han Hae.
Source 40 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Single’s Inferno · opens in a new tabIt took 10 months from the first release.
Source 39 · OSEN (Korean) · One million subscribers · opens in a new tabShe appeared with Kim Sook, Jo Se-ho, Joo Woo-jae and Wooyoung.
Source 41 · OSEN (Korean) · Beat Coin premiere · opens in a new tabShe won it with the Beat Coin team.
Source 42 · Star Today (Korean) · 2022 KBS Entertainment Awards · opens in a new tabShe won it at the awards of the YouTube channel Ddeunddeun.
Source 43 · Newsen (Korean) · 1st Pinggyego Awards · opens in a new tabShe won it for Beat Coin, together with Kim Jun-hyun.
Source 44 · Star Today (Korean) · 2023 KBS Entertainment Awards · opens in a new tabIt ended after 1 year 6 months and 70 episodes.
Source 45 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Beat Coin ends · opens in a new tabShe appeared as a detective in episode 15 with Jo Se-ho and Nam Chang-hee.
Source 46 · Newsen (Korean) · Special appearance in Queen of Tears · opens in a new tabShe won it at the ceremony at COEX in Seoul.
Source 47 · Xportsnews (Korean) · 60th Baeksang Arts Awards · opens in a new tabShe won it in the veteran category with Jee Seok-jin.
Source 48 · Star News (Korean) · 2nd Pinggyego Awards · opens in a new tabShe reunited with the Beat Coin members. It reached No. 1 on Netflix’s domestic TV top 10.
Source 49 · Entermedia (Korean) · Screwballs · opens in a new tabShe joined with Joo Woo-jae and Yang Se-chan alongside Song Eun-i, Kim Sook and Kim Jong-kook.
Source 50 · OSEN (Korean) · Problem Child in House season 2 · opens in a new tabIt came after 22 years of marriage. She gave her account on Jung Sun-hee’s YouTube channel.
Source 51 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Divorce · opens in a new tabShe won it for Problem Child in House.
Source 52 · Newsen (Korean) · 2025 KBS Entertainment Awards · opens in a new tabShe walked as a model on the Concept Korea stage with Lee So-ra.
Source 53 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Paris Fashion Week · opens in a new tabSource 01 · News1 (Korean) · Sora and Jin-kyung have a happy ending · opens in a new tab The date of the runway show is not confirmed. Elle Korea released it on March 4.It follows the process of walking a runway again with Lee So-ra. It ended with a Paris Fashion Week runway on June 14.
Source 54 · bnt News (Korean) · Sora and Jin-kyung premiere · opens in a new tabSource 01 · News1 (Korean) · Sora and Jin-kyung have a happy ending · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1993–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Internet · South Korea
Dec 23, 1977 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1977: the year of the event minus 1977, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.