HoYeon Jung | Before They Were Famous | How "Squid Game" Changed Her Life?

Ho Yeon Chung has been tearing up the catwalk in South Korea on her way to becoming one of the most accomplished supermodels of all time. After appearing in Netflix's newest most popular drama series Squid Game, Chung's fame has exploded as more and more fans are blown away by her stunning beauty and impressive acting chops. So how did this 27 year old go from being unsure of what she wanted to do for a living to suddenly being one of the world's most famous South Koreans? You're about to find out in our newest episode of Before They Were Famous. I binged watched Squid Game over the weekend and because I'm obsessed, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Alright, character 001, the old man, he's my absolute fave. I couldn't get enough of him, especially in the Marvels episode. I've said too much. We dropped Before They Were Famous on Squid Game, be sure to check that out if you haven't watched the show. Alright, I'll see you after the intro. Ho Yeon Chung was born on June 23rd, 1994 and she was raised in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul. From a very young age, Chung was already concerned with how she might eventually earn a living for herself. As far back as middle school, she would spend time worrying about her future and stressing over how she might eventually earn enough money so she could feed herself. Because she was relatively tall from an early age, Chung ultimately decided to give modelling a shot. From there, she began her career at the age of just 16, back in 2010. Chung would spend the next two years booking her own gigs and interviewing at endless agencies hoping to be picked as one of their clients. Then in 2012, she met with folks at E-Steam Models and she was signed to one of their top spots. A year later, Chung would find herself on the set of Season 4 of Korea's Next Top Model. Within two weeks of being on the show, Chung would find herself on the brink of elimination. The next week, she'd be packing her bags and leaving the house behind. But in a surprising twist, Chung would return in week 5 and go on to win the next two competitions before ultimately placing as runner-up. In the US, the ability for a series like America's Next Top Model to launch the reputation of a brand new supermodel is questionable at best. But that isn't the case for some international versions of the series. In fact, former winners of Korea's Next Top Model tend to go on to have very impressive careers. You can definitely add Chung's name to that list as well. Hot off her appearance on the popular series, Chung began booking gig after gig, appearing in numerous local editions of magazines like Vogue, Elle, and W. She spent three years as one of Korea's most in-demand pictorial models. And then in 2017, she made her debut on the international runway during the opening ceremony of New York Fashion Week. And here, she was sporting a fiery shade of red hair that would go on to become one of her signature looks. Also one that Gi-Hun seems to have stolen for the finale. My God, I can't stop with the spoilers. Is his name Gi-Hun? I think it's Gi-Hun. Later that month, she'd be flying to Milan for shows by Alberta Ferretti as well as Fendi, while also making her Paris debut as an exclusive model for Louis Vuitton. By the end of 2016, W was naming Chung as one of Top 10 Breakout Models of the Year. An international success story, Chung continued the fast track to superstardom. She booked shoots for some of the biggest western fashion magazines like Harper's Bazaar and even Sephora, The Gap, the list goes on and on. Then in 2018, she decided to pack up all her bags and make the move to New York City to live there full time. She realized now that this was simply an attempt to escape from reality and a way to shake up her routine and place herself in a different and perhaps a more difficult environment. One thing you can say about Chung is that she doesn't appreciate a good challenge. That's right, because moving to New York would wind up being a turning point in her life. Even though it was difficult and she was often lonely, she found new means of independence and believes that she ultimately grew a lot as a person. When she finally returned home from New York, all of her friends told her that she had changed into someone who was a lot more comfortable. But in reality, what Chung was really searching for was the next chapter of her life. She loved being a model, but she needed a new challenge. While living in New York on her own, that's when Chung spent a lot of time watching films and reading books. She says that this experience gave her a renewed sense of purpose and that suddenly she had a brand new desire to explore the world of acting. She told W. At some point, I thought, am I really this person? On holidays, I spent time alone at home watching a movie, reading a book, and contemplating. Now that I think about it, if I hadn't had that time, I probably wouldn't have been able to do acting. After taking her first acting classes, Chung secured an agent for herself. Before she knew it, her very first script had arrived, and it turned out to be for, you guessed it, Squid Game. The producers asked her to submit an audition tape, and she promptly did. Just like that, Ho Yeon Chung landed her very first acting gig. And if you think that was surprisingly easy, trust me, no one was more surprised than Chung herself. She told W Korea, When my CEO told me I'd been cast, the first thing I said was, why? I was so happy when I heard the news, but it was like a greater fear had taken over me. I was like, thank you very much, but can I do this? Considering all the other monumental accomplishments that Chung had already succeeded at to this point, she never really should have questioned herself. And to be fair, she didn't question herself for long. Instead, what she did is she got to work researching her role as a North Korean refugee by watching a bunch of documentaries about North Korea and its defectors. She also began speaking with a North Korean accent by working with a dialect coach. Finally, she was able to find the similarities between herself and her character by channeling how lonely and displaced she had felt while she was in New York. One thing for sure is, with the subsequent release and massive success story that Squid Games has turned into, well, I really don't think Chung is going to be feeling lonely ever again. Because no matter where she is in the world, well, someone's going to know exactly who she is. Especially with them preckles, makes her stand out amongst millions. In fact, just prior to Squid Game launching on Netflix earlier this year, well, Chung she had around 400,000 followers on Instagram and today, like three weeks later, well, she's over 12 million followers. My God, good for her. She better hide that account. 12 million is simply a staggering number and it ain't over yet. I got a feeling by the end of this week, she might hit 15, she might hit 20, and you know, when you got 20 million followers, I think you're pretty much set for life. As for where Ho Young Jung goes next, well, I guess that's a story for another time, but we will be watching because we are, of course, before they're famous. My name is Michael McCrudden, thanks for checking out this video. Be sure to let us know who's next in the comments down below. I'll see you guys in another video.