Actor You Need to Know: Go Youn-jung

Go Youn-jung, the model-actress who is equally at home in both genres, made her acting debut in He Is Psychometric (2019), a fantasy thriller procedural romantic-comedy drama. Even in a supporting role as the 21-year-old Kim So-hyun, she struck out for her disarming simplicity and knack for staying true to the character, lending substance to it.

A Contemporary Art graduate of Seoul Women’s University Go’s penchant for performing may have originated there. Her on-screen presence is remarkable. She is more than just a gorgeous face. Her capacity to stir up intense emotions in her characters is something to take note of. She made a reputation for herself with a cameo appearance in the fantasy superhero mystery television series The School Nurse Files (2020), and her profile exploded shortly thereafter with her portrayal of a desolate caregiver in the blockbuster apocalyptic horror series Sweet Home.

Jeon Ye-seul is a freshman at Hankuk University Law School and an innocent victim of her domineering boyfriend’s violence—Go’s character in the 2021 legal drama Law School. An imposing professor and his impassioned students put fairness through the law on trial in the wake of an awful event that hits the prestigious school. The actress’s embodiment of Ye-seul won substantial admiration in that she effectively distanced herself to preserve her grip on the role.

Last year, Go’s acting career began to take off. She made her big-screen debut in Lee Jung-jae’s acclaimed, multi-award-winning spy action thriller Hunt. Subsequently came Alchemy of Souls, a fantasy romance period action drama based on a prohibited magic spell enabling souls to switch bodies in the fabled land of Daeho, with young wizards battling their perverse fates there. Go had a brief presence in the drama as the expert assassin Nak-su. It returned for a second season, Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, with the actress starring as an enigmatic heiress, Jin Bu-yeon of Jinyowon. Aside from the enchantment in the plot, her performance was enthralling in equal measure.

As she unifies her characters through her smiles and looks, Go’s depictions seem to be coming together stronger. She has a grace that is reminiscent of an idyllic figure, attributed to her vivid expressiveness and delicate visage. Interestingly, the delicacy may subtly conceal the daunting being she may be, as in Moving, based on the same-named Kang Full webtoon—her significant ongoing endeavors. The supernatural fantasy action drama series follows three high schoolers and their parents, who have extraordinary abilities. Go is one of the students, Jang Hui-soo, who, like her father, owns unparalleled power and the ability to recuperate in a jiffy without experiencing pain.