Youn Yuh-jung (윤여정) Age, Dramas List, Movies, Height, Career

Youn Yuh-jung is a South Korean actress whose career spans nearly six decades. She became an international figure after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari (2020), making her the first Korean performer to receive an Oscar for acting. Long respected in Korea for her bold and versatile performances, she has continued working in both domestic and global projects into her late seventies.

Youn Yuh-jung was born on June 19, 1947, in Kaesong (then in southern Korea, now in North Korea). As she is 79 years old. Her nationality is South Korean. Her zodiac sign is Gemini.

Personal Details

Full Name	Youn Yuh-jung (윤여정)
Other Name	Yoon Yeo-jeong
Profession	Actress
Date of Birth	19 June 1947
Age	79
Birthplace	Kaesong (now North Korea)
Nationality	South Korean
Religion	Yeo Woon-kye (여운계)
Zodiac Sign	Gemini
Current Residence	South Korea
Qualification	Hanyang University (attended; left for acting)

Career

Youn Yuh-jung entered acting somewhat by chance. After failing a preferred university entrance path, she took a part-time job at a television station, which led to an audition. She debuted in 1966 as a TBC open-recruitment talent and quickly gained attention.

Her breakthrough came with Kim Ki-young’s 1971 film Woman of Fire, in which she played a complex, disruptive housemaid. She also starred in the popular historical drama Jang Hui-bin. At the height of early success she married and moved to the United States, largely stepping away from acting for more than a decade while raising her children.

She returned to Korea in the mid-1980s as a divorced single mother and gradually rebuilt her career. From the 1990s onward she became a reliable and daring presence in both film and television, working with directors such as Im Sang-soo (The Housemaid, The Taste of Money) and appearing in many popular dramas.

International recognition arrived with Minari (2020). Her performance as the unconventional grandmother Soon-ja earned her the Academy Award, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. Subsequent international work includes the Apple TV+ series Pachinko (2022–2024), the film The Wedding Banquet (2025), and a role in the second season of Netflix’s Beef (2026), which brought an Emmy nomination.

Youn Yuh-jung Husband

Youn Yuh-jung married singer Jo Young-nam in 1974. The couple lived in the United States for about a decade and had two sons (Jo Eol and Jo Neul). They divorced in 1987 after his extramarital affairs. She returned to Korea and raised her sons as a single mother while resuming acting.

Physical Appearance

Height	Approximately 5 feet 2–3 inches (157–160 cm)
Weight	Not publicly emphasized
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Hair Color	Dark / Gray (age-appropriate)
Body Type	Slim

Youn Yuh-jung Drama List

Selected Films

• Woman of Fire (1971)
• The Housemaid (2010)
• The Taste of Money (2012)
• Minari (2020) – Soon-ja (Academy Award-winning role)
• The Wedding Banquet (2025)

Selected Television / Streaming

• Early historical and contemporary dramas including Jang Hui-bin
• Numerous Korean series across the 1990s–2010s
• Pachinko (2022–2024)
• Beef (Season 2, 2026) – Chairwoman Park

She has an extensive filmography of more than 50 films and dozens of television roles spanning 1966 to the present.

Youn Yuh-jung Net Worth

Youn Yuh-jung’s estimated net worth is in the range of $1–5 million USD. Her income has come primarily from decades of acting in Korean film and television, later international projects, and related professional activities. She has not been heavily associated with large commercial endorsement portfolios. Exact figures are not publicly confirmed..

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