Jung Eun-ji

Jung Eun-ji (; born Jung Hye-rim on August 18, 1993), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known as the vocalist of the South Korean girl group Apink. Renowned for her powerful vocals, she possesses perfect pitch and has a five octave vocal range. Jung made her acting debut in the critically acclaimed hit coming-of-age television series '' Reply 1997'' in 2012. She won several awards for her role including the 49th Baeksang Arts Award for Best New TV Actress. She has since had roles in '' That Winter, the Wind Blows'' (2013), '' Lovers of Music'' (2014), '' Cheer Up!'' (2015), '' Untouchable'' (2017), '' Work Later, Drink Now'' (2021–2022), '' Blind'' (2022), '' Miss Night and Day'' (2024), and '' Pump Up the Healthy Love'' (2025). She released her debut solo extended play ''Dream'' in 2016.

Early life and education

Jung Eun-ji was born as Jung Hye-rim in Haeundae District, Busan on August 18, 1993. Her name was legally changed to Jung Eun-ji when she was in middle school. She has a younger brother who is eight years younger than her.

Jung attended Shinjae Elementary School, Jaesong Girls' Middle School, and Busan Hyehwa Girls' High School. She traveled back and forth to Busan to continue her studies while promoting as an idol in Seoul. She graduated from high school in February 2012.

Career

Pre-debut

In July 2004, Jung participated in the KBS Busan Nursery Rhyme Contest Fun Day and won the grand prize.

In February 2011, Jung passed the audition to become the main vocalist of Apink. On February 14, 2011, she moved to Seoul to start her debut preparation. She had not received any professional training prior to joining Apink, and trained for only two months with the group before debuting.

2011: Debut with Apink

In March 2011, Jung was revealed to be the fourth member of Apink via an online video of her covering Jennifer Hudson's " Love You I Do". Jung joined the rest of the group to film ''Apink News'' prior to their debut. On April 21, 2011, Jung made her debut as a main vocalist of Apink on Mnet's ''M Countdown'' with two songs, "Mollayo" and "Wishlist", from the group's debut extended play '' Seven Springs of Apink''.

2012–2015: Solo activities, acting debut, and rising popularity

Jung has collaborated with various artists for OSTs and promotional songs. For the project ''A Cube for Season #Green'', Jung Eun-ji and fellow Cube artist Yang Yo-seob, sang the duet track "Love Day".

Jung made her acting debut in '' Reply 1997'', a 1990s nostalgic dramedy which became one of the highest-rated Korean series on cable television. She played the female protagonist, a hardcore H.O.T. fan who becomes a TV drama writer. Jung was complimented by critics and audiences for her comedic and emotional acting, which was impressive for a newcomer, as well as for her authentic Busan dialect. The role won her several awards, including the 49th Baeksang Arts Award for Best New TV Actress.

In August 2012, Jung recorded two promotional singles, "All For You" and "Our Love Like This" with ''Reply 1997'' co-star Seo In-guk for the drama's soundtrack. "All For You" became one of the best-selling singles of the year on the Gaon Single Chart.

In September 2012, Jung was cast in the Korean staging of the Hollywood film-turned-musical '' Legally Blonde'', playing the lead role of Elle Woods. The show ran from November 16, 2012, to March 17, 2013.

In October 2012, Jung was then cast as the second female lead in the 2013 melodrama '' That Winter, the Wind Blows''. For her role, she won Best Performance at the 2nd APAN Star Awards and New Star Award at the 2013 SBS Drama Awards.

In 2013 and 2014, Jung collaborated with label-mate Huh Gak for duets titled "Short Hair" and "Break Up To Make Up" respectively, which were well-received by listeners and ranked atop major online music charts in Korea. She released her first solo single titled "Its You" for the soundtrack of '' Three Days''.

In 2014, she starred in another musical, the stage adaptation of 2004 series ''Full House''. Afterwards, Jung starred in the romantic comedy series '' Lovers of Music'', which depicts a female singer's struggles to become successful in the old-fashioned musical genre trot.

In 2015, Jung starred as the female lead in KBS2 high school drama '' Cheer Up!'' playing the role of a high school student who ranks at the bottom of her class.

2016–present: Solo debut, continuous solo activities, and acting resurgence

On April 18, 2016, Jung debuted as a solo artist with the EP ''Dream'', which consisted of six songs. The title track "Hopefully Sky" is written by Jung, which recounts the times she spent with her father. "Hopefully Sky" topped eight local music charts, and the album sold 30,000 copies upon release. In April 2017, Jung released her second EP ''The Space''. The title track "The Spring" and its accompanying music video was unveiled on April 10, and debuted within the top ten spots on local music charts. From June 3 to 5, Jung held her first solo concert titled "Attic" at Ewha Womans University's Samsung Hall.

In 2017, Jung was cast in JTBC's action melodrama '' Untouchable'' which began airing on November 24.

In 2018, Jung was cast in the horror film '' 0.0MHz'', based on the webtoon of the same name. On October 18, 2018, Jung released a music video for the single "Being There", from her third EP ''Hyehwa''.

In 2020, Jung was cast in the musical '' Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812''. On July 15, 2020, Jung released her fourth EP ''Simple'', along with the title track "Away".

In 2021, Jung was cast in TVING's web series '' Work Later, Drink Now'' as Kang Ji-goo, an origami YouTuber. The series premiered at the Cannes International Series Festival 2022 from April 1 to April 6, 2022.

In September 2022, she starred in the mystery thriller television series '' Blind'', portraying the role of a social worker.

On October 30, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that the release of the remake album ''Log'', which was originally scheduled to be released on November 2, has been postponed to November 11 due to the aftermath of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush.

On November 17, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that Jung would be holding "Travelog" solo concerts on December 10 and 11.

On April 28, 2023, IST Entertainment announced that Jung had renewed her contract with the company for the 3rd time.

On July 31, 2023, Jung was confirmed to portray the role of Lee Mijin in the JTBC series '' Miss Night and Day''.

On August 13, 2024, Jung surpassed 1.01 billion cumulative streams on Melon, Korea's largest music streaming platform, and was named a member of the "New Billions Club - Bronze Club." On the same day, she surpassed 120,000 daily streams compared to the previous day, putting her shoulder to shoulder with the top Korean artists representing each genre.

On May 2, 2025, IST Entertainment announced that its exclusive contract with Jung had recently come to an end after 14 years . Following this, BILLIONS also shared an official statement that they had signed an exclusive contract with her.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Other charted songs

Composition credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.

Videography

Music videos

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television show

Radio show

Hosting

Theatre

Concerts and tours

The Attic (1st Concert)

Hyehwa Station (2nd Concert)

Yeoreum (3rd Concert)

Online Concert : How To Live (2020)

Travelog (4rd Concert)

Eunji's Bookstore (1st Fanmeeting)

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jung, Eun-ji
1993 births
Living people
Apink members
Japanese-language singers of South Korea
Singers from Busan
Actresses from Busan
People from Haeundae District
South Korean dance musicians
South Korean women pop singers
South Korean mezzo-sopranos
South Korean female idols
South Korean film actresses
South Korean voice actresses
South Korean television actresses
South Korean television personalities
South Korean web series actresses
21st-century South Korean actresses
21st-century South Korean women singers
MAMA Award winners
IST Entertainment artists
Melon Music Award winners