Biography
Jung Ho-yeon, also known by the mononym Hoyeon, is a South Korean model and actress who made a name for herself on the catwalks of the fashion capitals before appearing in the hit 2021 television series Squid Game. Thanks to her gritty portrayal of Kang Sae-byeok, a woman desperate to reunite her family after being separated at the border with North Korea, Jung became one of the most followed South Korean actresses on social media and was named a global ambassador for Louis Vuitton. The breakout star of the Netflix survival drama had made her runway debut at Louis Vuitton five years earlier. By 2022, she had amassed a community of 22 million on Instagram and landed a solo cover for American Vogue.
Born in Seoul, Jung always wanted a career in fashion and worked at Seoul Fashion Week as a teenager. She began modelling freelance in 2010, signed to Esteem models in 2012 and placed as runner-up in Korea’s Next Top Model in 2013. She went on to an international modelling career, basing herself in New York and dyeing her hair flame-red. She walked for brands including Chanel, Burberry, Gucci and Miu Miu and starred in campaigns for companies like Fendi and Tory Burch before modelling work started to dry up and she switched to acting in 2020, signing with Korean talent agency Saram Entertainment. Jung won a SAG Award and an Emmy nomination for her role in Squid Game.