The year she turned 17, she went through the MBC model academy and appeared as a freelance model on Korea’s Next Top Model season 2. She was eliminated in episode 1. In 2012, she signed with the model agency ESteem after an audition. In 2013, she finished as joint runner-up with Hwang Hyun-joo on Korea’s Next Top Model season 4, behind Shin Hyun-ji.
In 2014, she hosted MBC Every1’s The Most Beautiful Days. In 2015, she won Newcomer of the Year at the Korea Fashion Photographers’ Night. In 2016, she signed with the New York agency The Society to prepare for work abroad.
In 2017, she worked as a brand model for Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer women’s collection and pre-fall campaign. In 2018, she made Models.com’s list of the world’s top 50 models and was picked as a Chanel campaign model. In 2019, she won the Asia Star Award at the Asia Model Awards. In 2020, she moved from the model agency ESteem to the actor agency Saram Entertainment.
The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 27, she made her acting debut as the North Korean defector Sae-byeok in Netflix’s Squid Game. Her Instagram followers grew from 400,000 to 11.7 million in two weeks after release. That year she was named a Louis Vuitton global ambassador. She also signed with the U.S. agency CAA.
In January 2022, she appeared on a solo cover of the February issue of U.S. Vogue. She was the first Asian to do so and the first Korean on a solo cover in the magazine’s 130 years. In February, she won Best Actress of the Year at the Director’s Cut Awards, then the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. It was the first time a Korean actor had won in that category. In March, she opened and closed Louis Vuitton’s show at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, returning to the runway after three years. The same month she was cast in Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer. In July, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and won Best New Actress in the drama category at the 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards. In September, she was named to TIME’s “100 emerging leaders.”
In 2023, she opened Louis Vuitton’s first fashion show in Seoul, on Jamsu Bridge over the Han River. In 2024, she made a cameo as Ahn Jae-hong’s character’s ex-girlfriend, Hong Cha, in Netflix’s Chicken Nugget. In June, she appeared on a solo cover of the August issue of Elle US.
In October, she made her first Hollywood appearance as Catherine’s secretary Ji-su in Apple TV+’s Disclaimer, and received a Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism commendation at the Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. In December, Squid Game season 2 was released, and Sae-byeok, who died in season 1, appeared in a dream scene of Gi-hun’s. In 2025, she signed with BH Entertainment. In June, Squid Game season 3 was released and the series ended.
In 2026, she made her screen debut as the police officer Seong-ae in director Na Hong-jin’s film Hope. In July, she unveiled the trophy at the World Cup final as a Louis Vuitton ambassador. In September, she joined Netflix’s Outback as the creator Smiley.
Jung Ho-yeon (born Jun 23, 1994) made her modeling debut on Korea’s Next Top Model season 2 in 2011, the year she turned 17, and became known worldwide as Sae-byeok in Netflix’s Squid Game on Sep 17, 2021, the year she turned 27. For the series she won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2022, the year she turned 28.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.