Jang Na-ra
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Jang Na-ra (; born March 18, 1981) is a South Korean actress and singer who has been active in both the South Korean and Chinese entertainment industries since 2001. She rose to prominence with her hit studio album ''Sweet Dream'' in 2002, and starred in well-received television series '' Successful Story of a Bright Girl'' (2002), '' My Love Patzzi'' (2002), ''
Wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
'' (2005), ''My Bratty Princess'' (2005), '' You Are My Destiny'' (2014), '' Confession Couple'' (2017), '' The Last Empress'' (2018–2019), '' VIP'' (2019), '' Sell Your Haunted House'' (2021), and '' Good Partner'' (2024).


Early life and education

Jang was born in 1981 and spent most of her childhood in
Yeokchon-dong Yeokchon-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Eunpyeong District, Seoul, South Korea. History In the 1970s, as a result of urban planning initiatives, Yeokchon-dong was developed into a residential area. On 1 September 1985, it was divided ...
,
Eunpyeong District Eunpyeong District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Eunpyeong is divided into 16 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Eunpyeong is located in northwestern Seoul, bordering Gyeonggi Province city of Goyang to the west, and ...
, in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea. She appeared with her father, actor (
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
), which real name is Jang Yeon-gyo, in the play ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' in her primary school days, thus sparking her interest in becoming an actress. Jang also went on to become a model for television advertisements in her high school days before entering Chung-Ang University's Department of Theater, Faculty of Fine Arts where she majored in Theater and Film in March 2000. She graduated 10 years later, on February 19, 2010. The delay was due to her continuous work since her debut after she entered the university. She also received an alumni association award for her contributions to the university during the graduation rites.


Career


Music

Jang made her debut in the entertainment world as a singer in May 2001. She started her singing career by becoming a trainee and by signing a contract with
SM Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering and popularizing the car ...
. Jang released her debut album ''First Story'' with the title track ''Burying My Face In Tears''. Initially, it was not well-received and only reached number 12 in Korean music charts. After starring in the popular
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' New Nonstop'', she became more well-known and released the other tracks in the album such as her pop ballad style song, ''Confession'' and the ''April Story'', ranked at the top in various music charts. The album sold 300,000 copies. Jang then became a host for MBC's music show, ''Music Camp'' and KBS's talk show ''Love Story''. By the end of 2001, she received several New Female Artist awards from year-end Music Awards ceremonies and New MC awards from Entertainment Awards ceremonies. In October 2002, Jang released her second album, ''Jjang Nara Vol.2 Sweet Dream''. The song ''Sweet Dream'' became immensely popular and reached number 1 in Korean music charts, instantly making Jang a household name. The album also became one of the top selling albums of that year in South Korea. Due to the success of ''Sweet Dream'', Jang won several awards, including two ''Daesang'' awards or the Grand Prize (equivalent to Korean Top Artist of the Year) from MBC Music Festival and KBS Music Awards. She also received the Korean Singer of the Year from China's CCTV-MTV Awards in 2003. In December 2003, Jang released her third album, aptly titled ''3rd Story,'' which included top tracks ''I am a Woman Too'' and ''Is That True?''. Jang released a Best Hits Album in 2004 consisting of songs from her 3 previous albums. She followed it up with her fourth album titled ''My Story'' released in December 2004, consisting of hit songs such as ''I Love School'' and ''Winter Diary''. With her popularity in China, she also made a career in music overseas by releasing Chinese-language albums. Her first Chinese album was a huge success, making her the first foreign artist in China with over 1 million copies sold. This was followed by the release of two more Chinese albums, ''Kungfu'' (2005) and ''Flying High'' (2006). She returned to the Korean music scene in 2007 with her fifth Korean album entitled ''She'', which consists of medium tempo ''Masquerade'' and the dance piece, ''You & I''. The following year, she released a multi-lingual album titled ''Dream of Asia'', which includes 26 songs in 5 languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, and English. Jang held a mini concert in Beijing to promote the album. During the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Jang was the only singer from a non-Chinese-speaking country to appear in the 2008 Olympic song, ''
Beijing Welcomes You ''Beijing Welcomes You'' () is a feature song for the 100-day countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, Beijing, China. The song comprises one hundred famous artists and entertainers from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore ...
''. In 2009, she released a duet with
Jimmy Lin Jimmy Lin Chih-ying ( zh, c=林志穎, poj=Lîm Chì-éng, born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and race car driver. Early life Lin was born in Taipei on 15 October 1974. He was the second child in a family of five children. Lin ...
for the soundtrack of their film ''Flying with You''. The track was produced by famed Singaporean musician
JJ Lin Wayne Lim Junjie (; born 27 March 1981), professionally known as JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer, and businessman. One of the most successful artists in the Sinophone, Chinese-speaking world, Lin achieved recogniti ...
. In 2012, four years after releasing ''Dream of Asia'', Jang returned to the Korean music scene with the digital single ''I Only Think of You''. The same year, she released her fourth Chinese album, ''Love Journey''. On May 20, 2018, Jang Na-Ra performed ''Sweet Dream'', ''I am a Woman Too'', ''April Story'' on Sugar Man season 2, which was the highest audience rating among all terrestrial and non-terrestrial programs broadcast at the same time. ''Sweet Dream'' by Jang Nara became the most-viewed performing video among all Sugar Man singers.


Acting career

Jang also has a successful acting career. She first appeared in the popular MBC TV
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
'' New Nonstop'', and received attention for her cute image. In 2002, Jang landed her first leading role in a drama in SBS's romantic comedy '' Successful Story of a Bright Girl''. The drama was well-received and recorded high audience ratings. She won the Best New TV Actress Award at the 2003
Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...
. The success of the drama and her hit song "Sweet Dream" launched her to stardom in South Korea that year. The same year, she starred in another romantic comedy series, '' My Love Patzzi,'' which also attained high ratings. In 2003, she made her feature film debut in the film ''Oh! Happy Day''. In 2004, she came back to the small screen and starred in MBC's weekend drama ''Love Is All Around'', followed by KBS' romance drama ''
Wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
''. ''Wedding,'' which established Jang as an actress, and she received viewer acclaim for her portrayal of a woman's growth and identity in marriage. In 2005, with her increasing popularity in China, she made a bold move by moving to China to start her singing and acting career. Her first mainstream Chinese drama was ''My Bratty Princess''. The success of ''My Bratty Princess'' catapulted her as a ''hallyu'' or
Korean Wave The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...
star in China. She made several other drama series in China which includes ''Good Morning Shanghai'' in 2007, ''Iron Masked Singer'' in 2010, and '' Unruly Qiao'' in 2011. In 2009, she returned to the big screen with ''Sky and Ocean'', playing a gifted violinist with the mental age of a 6-year-old, diagnosed with
Savant syndrome Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...
. The movie was a commercial failure, and was criticized for Jang's unfair nomination at the
Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...
even before the movie was released. However, despite the controversy, Jang won the Best Actress for a Foreign Film Award at the 19th China
Golden Rooster The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the Rooster (zodiac), year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a sta ...
and
Hundred Flowers Awards The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan. They are classified as the Chinese equiv ...
. The film also became the first Asian film to be invited to the eighth Tirana International Film Festival in Albania, where it won the Media Award. In May 2011, Jang starred in the KBS romantic-comedy '' Baby Faced Beauty''. This marked her return to Korean screens after six years. The series averaged 10% ratings throughout its run and won favorable reviews. She later won the Excellence Award for an Actress in a mini-series at the 2011
KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...
. The following year, she filmed her first Chinese movie, ''Flying With You'', starring opposite Taiwanese singer and actor
Jimmy Lin Jimmy Lin Chih-ying ( zh, c=林志穎, poj=Lîm Chì-éng, born 15 October 1974) is a Taiwanese singer, actor, and race car driver. Early life Lin was born in Taipei on 15 October 1974. He was the second child in a family of five children. Lin ...
. She also made a cameo appearance in another Chinese film starring
Jaycee Chan Jaycee Chan Joming (, born December 3, 1982) is an American actor and singer based in Asia. The only son of Jackie Chan and Joan Lin, he debuted with a Mandopop album in 2004 and pursued a music and acting career in Greater China until his career ...
titled ''Whoever''. The same year, she appeared together with her father in a Chinese drama entitled ''Race Course''. In December 2012, Jang reunited with her '' Baby Faced Beauty'' co-star Choi Daniel for KBS's teen drama ''
School 2013 ''School 2013'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Jang Na-ra, Choi Daniel, Lee Jong-suk, Park Se-young and Kim Woo-bin. The teen drama depicts the struggles and dilemmas that modern-day Korean youth face, such as bullyin ...
''. She received her second consecutive Excellence Award for an Actress in a mini-series at the 2012
KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...
. After filming for ''
School 2013 ''School 2013'' () is a 2012 South Korean television series starring Jang Na-ra, Choi Daniel, Lee Jong-suk, Park Se-young and Kim Woo-bin. The teen drama depicts the struggles and dilemmas that modern-day Korean youth face, such as bullyin ...
'' concluded, Jang immediately returned to China to film a drama titled ''Red Palanquin''. The year 2014 proved to be a busy year for Jang with three TV projects under MBC network. In July 2014, Jang played the lead role in '' You Are My Destiny'', the Korean adaptation of the 2008 Taiwanese hit drama '' Fated to Love You''. This TV series reunited her with Jang Hyuk 12 years after both starred in the highly rated drama '' Successful Story of a Bright Girl''. You Are My Destiny was a hit in China and gained 200 million views. Shortly after, Jang starred in a one-episode drama special entitled ''Old Farewell'' for MBC's Drama Festival, pairing her once again with Jang Hyuk. She then took on the lead role opposite Shin Ha-kyun in the fantasy-romantic-comedy drama, '' Mr. Back''. She later won the Top Excellence Award at the 2014
MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MBC ...
for both television series she starred in that year. In 2015, Jang played a police detective in the mystery thriller '' Hello Monster''. In 2016, she starred in the romantic comedy '' One More Happy Ending'', portraying a former pop idol. In 2017, Jang was cast in the romantic fantasy drama '' Confession Couple''. The series was a success, and won acclaim from viewers. She also won the Excellence Award for an Actress in a mini-series at the 2017
KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...
. In 2018, Jang was cast in the mystery thriller drama '' The Last Empress'', playing a musical actress who becomes the Empress of a modern-day monarch. The series received high ratings and Jang was praised for her performance with her wide range in acting. In 2019, Jang returned to the small screen with the office mystery drama '' VIP''. She won the Producer Award for her role as Na Jeong-seon at the
2019 SBS Drama Awards The 2019 SBS Drama Awards (), presented by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), took place on December 31, 2019 at SBS Prism Tower, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital ...
. In 2020, Jang starred in the romance comedy drama '' Oh My Baby'' as manager of a magazine, ''The Baby''. In 2021, she appeared in the occult TV series '' Sell Your Haunted House'' as Hong Ji-ah, an exorcist and CEO of Daebak Realty, a real estate company which only sells haunted properties. In 2024, Jang won the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 2024 SBS Drama Awards for her role in '' Good Partner'' as Cha Eun-kyung. In 2025, Jang signed with LAELBnc after working for 23 years under her own agency, Rawon Culture.


Other activities


Philanthropy

Jang does much charity work such as sending 500 million won worth of commodities and 200 million won worth of powdered milk to the hungry North Korean children. She also established a US$10,000 Jang Na-ra scholarship foundation in the Philippines. She also works with the FHI Charity organization. In 2007, Jang held a fund-raising concert for child patients of
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
in China. The Jang Foundation was established from the money raised during Jang's fan club meeting at her June 9 concert in Beijing, which was held to mark the 15th year of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea. Twelve hundred seats at the concert venue sold out early. After the concert on stage, a Chinese charity organization appointed Jang as a goodwill ambassador, making her the first foreigner to receive such an honor. The same year, she was appointed as one of the goodwill ambassadors for the China-ROK Exchange Year. In the aftermath of the
2008 Sichuan earthquake An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 (7.9–8.3 ), the earthquake's epicenter was located boxing the compass, west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial ...
, Jang donated 150,000 dollars to a charity organization in China and 8 billion won of clothing for the victims. Jang is also known to contribute her talent in singing for charitable causes. In 2013, she recorded a TV campaign song named "Nanoom Song" for the Community Chest of Korea. She also performed with
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
at his charity concert "Jackie Chan and his friends" on June 24, 2006, at Nanjing, Jiangsu province of China. In 2015, Jang was recognized for her charity activities by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 2017, it was revealed that Jang had secretly donated more than 13 billion won, or close to 12 million US dollars, since her debut in 2001 to various charities, disaster reliefs, and academic organizations. She is also known to have a big affection for animals. Aside from donating money to animal shelters, she also participates at charity events for animal care and volunteers actively for such things as cleaning sick dogs' shelters.


Ambassadorship

Jang served as the public relations envoy for fair elections in the 2002 South Korean presidential election. She renewed this commitment as she was chosen as one of the honorary public relations ambassadors for the
2017 South Korean presidential election An early presidential election was held in South Korea on 9 May 2017. The elections were conducted in a single round, on a first-past-the-post basis. Originally scheduled for 20 December 2017, the election was pushed forward following the imp ...
. In 2004, Jang was named public relations envoy for China by the Embassy of China, Seoul. In 2011, Jang was appointed as
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
's
Gangnam District Gangnam District (; ) is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The term ''Gangnam'' translates to "South of the Han River". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of . As of the 2024 census, Gangna ...
's ambassador to promote tourism in the area.


Endorsements

In 2002, Jang was named as "CF Queen" by various news outlets. This is due to her rising number of product endorsements ranging from telecommunications ( KTF), automobile ( Kia Spectra), fashion (SMART uniform), fast food (
Popeyes Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. is an American multinational chain of fried chicken restaurants founded in 1972 in New Orleans and headquartered in Miami. It is currently a subsidiary of Toronto-based Restaurant Brands International. , Popey ...
), to alcoholic beverages (). In March 2020, it was revealed that Jang had signed an exclusive model contract with air purifier brand Clair back in December 2019. It was revealed that Jang would promote Clair's products not only in Korea but throughout Asia as well. Jang signed a contract with Korean cosmetic brand CharmZone as an official model, as revealed in April 2020. This was to promote the company's diversification into the inner beauty market.


Academic

In June 2010, Jang was appointed as an associate professor at the Beijing Huajia University.


Photography

In March 2023, it was announced that Jang will hold a photography exhibition, Jang Na-ra Photo Exhibition & Kim Dae-nyeon Special Exhibition, scheduled for April 29 and 30.


Personal life

2002 was Jang's year, with best selling albums, multiple endorsements, and highly rated TV shows under her belt. Her popularity throughout South Korea is massive, often dubbed as "Jang Na-ra Syndrome". And eventually, her popularity extended to China and other Asian countries. However, her
workload The term workload can refer to several different yet related entities. An amount of labor An old definition refers to workload as the amount of work an individual has to do.Jex, S. M. (1998). Stress and job performance: Theory, research, and im ...
took a toll on her health. She disclosed in an interview on '' Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy'' that she suffered from gastric ulcers,
irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...
,
panic disorder Panic disorder is a mental disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder, characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear that may include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath ...
,
bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...
, and
acrophobia Acrophobia, also known as hypsophobia, is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share similar ...
due to intense stress and pressure as a
celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
. She also halted her singing activities in 2014 due to stage phobia and focused her work on acting. Jang belongs to a family of actors. Her father, Ju Ho-seong (real name ), is a theater actor, producer, and director. He has also been managing Jang's career since her debut. She has her own agency, Rawon Culture, which was established by her father. Jang is also known for her youthful appearance and has expressed her Christian faith numerous times at the SBS Drama Awards.


Marriage

On June 3, 2022, Jang announced that she would be marrying her non-celebrity boyfriend. Their private wedding ceremony was held on June 26, 2022. Her husband is a
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
who is 6 years younger than her, they first met on the set of the drama ''VIP'' (2019).


Discography


Korean studio albums


Chinese studio albums


Collaborative and compilation albums


Singles


Filmography


Awards and nominations


State honors


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Na-ra 1981 births Living people Actresses from Seoul People from Eunpyeong District Singers from Seoul Chung-Ang University alumni South Korean rock singers K-pop singers South Korean mandopop singers South Korean women pop singers South Korean female idols South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses South Korean expatriates in China MAMA Award winners Mandarin-language singers of South Korea 21st-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean women singers