Jun Ji Hyun, also known as Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress under Culture Depot (a Korean drama production and artist management company). She made her film debut in the little-watched “White Valentine” in 1999, it was not until later in the year when she was featured in a commercial for Samsung My Jet Printer that she became a popular sensation. The dancing and attitude expressed in the ad made her an icon for Koreans in their late teens and early twenties.
Ji Hyun is best known for her role as “The Girl” in the romantic comedy “My Sassy Girl”, one of the highest-grossing Korean comedies of all time, as well as the lead actress in runaway drama hit “My Love From Another Star” and “Legend of the Blue Sea”. Other notable films include “Il Mare”, “Windstruck”, “The Thieves”, and “The Berlin File”.
Her childhood dream was to become a flight attendant, but at the age of 16, she was discovered on the street by a fashion editor. Using the stage name Jun Ji Hyun, she began her career as a model for Ecole Magazine in 1997.
In 2012, she married Choi Jun Hyuk, grandson of famed hanbok designer Lee Young Hee and the son of fashion designer Lee Jung Woo.
Jun is one of the most in-demand celebrity endorsers in South Korea. In 2014, she earned an estimated ₩20 billion from advertising and endorsement fees. Market research in that same year showed that based on the value of real estate holdings, she ranked first among South Korean female celebrities, and fourth out of both male and female. In 2016, Jun earned ₩14 billion for the 14 commercials she has filmed, regaining her position at the top of advertisement rankings.
A lipstick she wore on My Love from the Star, YSL “Rouge Pur Couture No. 52” sold out worldwide, while the same coat she wore on the show caused a surge in sales of over 2,500 in ShesMiss stores in ten days.
