Park Ji-yeon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Park Ji-yeon
Park in June 2017
Born	(1993-06-07) June 7, 1993 (age 32) Seoul, South Korea
Education	Lila Art High School
Occupation	Singer actress model
Agent	AnB Group
Spouse(s)	Hwang Jae-gyun ​ ​ (m. 2022; div. 2024)​
Musical career
Genres	K-pop
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2007–present
Labels	MBK EMI Japan Banana Culture Longzhen Culture
Korean name
Hangul	박지연
Hanja	朴芝妍
RR	Bak Jiyeon
MR	Pak Chiyŏn
Signature

Park Ji-yeon (Hangul: 박지연; born on June 7, 1993), known simply as Jiyeon, is a talented South Korean singer, actress, and model. She first became famous as a member of the popular girl group T-ara in July 2009. Besides her group activities, Jiyeon has also starred in many TV shows and movies. She became a solo artist in May 2014 with her first album, Never Ever. This made her the first T-ara member to release solo music.

Jiyeon's Early Life and School

Park Ji-yeon was born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 7, 1993. She went to Hyehwa Girls' High School for a short time. Later, she graduated from Lila Art High School in 2012. Jiyeon decided not to go to university. Instead, she chose to focus on her growing career in entertainment.

Jiyeon's Career Journey

How Jiyeon Started in Music and Acting

Jiyeon and Hahm Eun-jung were the only two members of T-ara who trained in acting. Even though they planned to be actresses, they became singers. Jiyeon showed interest in modeling from a young age. In 2008, when she was 15, she appeared in ads for the clothing company Smart. She worked with the Korean boy band SHINee for these ads.

Jiyeon also sang with Davichi and SeeYa on the song "Women's Generation" in May 2009. This was her first public appearance before T-ara debuted. She also appeared in music videos for SG Wannabe. People in the media called her "Little Kim Tae-hee" because she looked like the famous actress. Jiyeon joined Mnet in 2008 and officially debuted with T-ara on July 29, 2009.

Jiyeon's Acting Roles and Breakthrough

Jiyeon started acting in 2007 in a TV show called Lobbyist. The next year, she was in Ae-ja and Min-ja. In 2009, she was supposed to be in a movie called Gas Station 2. However, she had to leave the project because of other work.

In 2009, Jiyeon starred in Soul and High Kick! 2. In 2010, she was in Master of Study, a show based on a Japanese comic. That same year, she played the main role in the horror movie Death Bell 2. She also starred in the teen drama Jungle Fish 2.

Park at an event promoting Death Bell 2.

In October 2010, Jiyeon became a host for MBC's Show! Music Core. She hosted alongside other popular stars like Bae Suzy. She also joined the cast of SBS's show Heroes. In 2011, Jiyeon lent her voice to the Korean version of the animated movie Gnomeo and Juliet. In 2012, she acted in the teen drama Dream High 2.

Jiyeon's Solo Music Debut

Jiyeon released her first solo music in May 2014. The main song was "Never Ever" (also known as "1 Minute 1 Second"). Its music video was very popular in China, staying at number one for two weeks. In June, Jiyeon joined the cast of MBC's TV series Triangle. She also started hosting The Show: All About K-pop with Lee Hye-ri.

In May 2015, Jiyeon was cast in a Korean-Chinese movie called Encounter. However, the movie was never released. In July 2015, she sang with Jun-hyung from 2BiC on the song "Summer Love". In 2016, Jiyeon starred in the web drama My Runway. This show was released on Netflix in December 2016.

Jiyeon's Recent Activities and Music

In early 2018, Jiyeon and the other T-ara members left their agency, MBK Entertainment. She then signed with a Chinese company called Longzhen Culture Development in May 2018. Jiyeon also worked with Vietnamese singer Soobin Hoàng Sơn on a song called "Between Us". Later, in November 2018, Jiyeon signed with Partners Park for her activities in Korea. On December 22, 2018, she released a song called "One Day" as a thank you to her fans.

On April 2, 2019, Jiyeon was cast in the KBS2 drama I Wanna Hear Your Song. On December 26, 2019, she released her second solo album, SENPASS. This album included five songs, with "Take A Hike" as the main track.

Park performing at T-ara's What's My Name showcase in 2017.

In October 2020, it was announced that Jiyeon would star in a new web drama called Next Door Witch J. She played a beauty creator named Seo Je Yi. In the same month, news came out that she would also star in the TV series Imitation, which aired in 2021. On July 12, 2021, Jiyeon left Partners Park. On February 18, 2022, she signed a new contract with AnB Group. On July 13, 2022, Jiyeon announced her first solo fan meeting, RE:BLoom. She also released a new version of her song "Rolling" from 2010.

Jiyeon's Impact and Popularity

Park performing with T-ara at Cyworld Dream Music Festival in 2011.

Jiyeon was one of the first girl group members to become successful in acting both in Korea and worldwide. Her shows like God of Study (2010), Death Bell 2 (2010), Dream High 2 (2012), and Triangle (2014) were very popular. In 2011, a newspaper called Chosun named her one of "The best acting-idols."

Jiyeon's pages on Cyworld, a popular social media site, were always among the most visited. In September 2011, a plastic surgery clinic reported that Jiyeon was number one in their survey of most wanted faces. In 2017, Forbes China listed her among the top 25 "Global Idol Chinese Popularity." In 2020, a poll by King Choice ranked Jiyeon as the fifth most popular female K-pop celebrity.

Jiyeon's Endorsements and Ads

Before she became a singer and actress, Jiyeon was a child model. She modeled for many brands and stores. She won the "Model of the Year" award in 2008 for her work with SMART uniform. In 2007, she also won a silver award at the APM Model Contest.

In 2009, Jiyeon was chosen as the cover model for the "Love Song" album. This album sold over 2,000,000 copies in South Korea. She was chosen again the next year. In 2010, Jiyeon became an ambassador for the National Pension Service. She was paid a lot to advertise this service. In August 2016, Jiyeon worked as a model for a cosmetic brand. In 2024, Jiyeon and singer Uhm Jung-Hwa became models for "COMEONSTYLE," a big shopping festival.

Jiyeon's Personal Life

In 2010, Jiyeon shared that she had been training in Taekwondo since she was five years old. She even earned a third-degree black belt. Jiyeon often showed her Taekwondo skills on TV shows. This earned her the nickname "Strong Girl."

On February 10, 2022, Jiyeon announced that she would marry baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun. They got married in a private ceremony on December 10, 2022, at Shilla Hotel. Their close family and friends attended the wedding. Singers IU and Lee Hong-ki sang at the ceremony. Their apartment in Lotte World Tower was reported to be very expensive. In October 2024, it was announced that Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun had separated and were no longer married.

Jiyeon's Charity Work

In 2015, Jiyeon took part in the "Arbor Day Campaign." She worked with other artists like Shannon and Son Ho-jun. In 2016, Park joined the "Support Women Comfort" campaign. The money raised was given to the House of Sharing Foundation. This was done to remember the Sewol ferry disaster.

Jiyeon's Music

Jiyeon's Filmography

Jiyeon's Concerts

Jiyeon's Theatre Roles

Jiyeon's Awards and Nominations

Jiyeon's Rankings on Lists

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See also

In Spanish: Jiyeon para niños