Ko So-young (; born October 6, 1972) is a South Korean actress and model.

Early life

Ko was born 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 attended an all-female high school before gaining early admission to

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and an additional campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. CAU consists of 1 ...

, where she studied computer science.

Career

Ko debuted in the

TV drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...

''Love Tomorrow'' in 1993 and quickly established herself as a representative star of her generation. She made her film debut opposite Jung Woo-sung in '' The Fox with Nine Tails'' in 1994, which was the first Korean film to use computer-generated imagery. However, it failed to make an impression on audiences or critics. Ko first achieved wide recognition through her role in ''

Beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...

'' (again with Jung Woo-sung), a film that caught the imagination of many South Korean high school students. Since then she has acted in a series of successful melodramas, portraying a young model in '' If the Sun Rises in the West'', a

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

tour guide in '' Love Wind Love Song'', and a Korean American adoptee in ''Love''. In 2001, Ko teamed up with actor

Lee Sung-jae Lee Sung-jae (; born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films ''Art Museum by the Zoo'' (1998), ''Attack the Gas Station'' (1999), ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), and ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy ...

in ''A Day'', about a married couple who have trouble conceiving a child. Her acting in the film was much praised and garnered the Best Actress prize from the local

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 ...

ceremony. Then, after two years off, Ko returned in 2003 opposite Han Suk-kyu in the spy thriller ''

Double Agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organi ...

''; however, the film failed to live up to the expectations of most viewers and critics. She then shot two films in 2006: the horror film '' APT'' by director

Ahn Byeong-ki Ahn Byeong-ki (born November 5, 1966, or 1967) is a South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter specializing in horror films. His representative horror works are '' Phone'' and '' Bunshinsaba'' while his non-horror produced movies i ...

, and the romantic comedy '' Project Makeover'' by debut director Jeon Young-gap. After two commercial flops in 2007 with ''Project Makeover'' and the SBS drama ''Blue Fish'', Ko went into a hiatus. A decade after her last appearance, Ko made a comeback with the KBS drama '' Ms. Perfect''.

Personal life

Ko married actor

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in ...

in a star-studded wedding ceremony held at Seoul's Shilla Hotel on May 2, 2010, while five months pregnant. The couple's first child, a son Jang Min-joon, was born on October 4, 2010. Their second child, a daughter, was born on February 25, 2014.

Filmography

Films

Television series

References

External links

* * *
Ko So-young
at Koreanfilm.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, So-young South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses South Korean female models Chung-Ang University alumni 1972 births Living people Actresses from Seoul Models from Seoul Best Actress for Grand Bell Awards winners