Ever since her acting debut in the hit youth drama Reply 1997 in 2012, it was obvious that Jung Eun-ji (born Jung Hye-rim, and known mononymously as Eunji) was destined to become a top idol-actress.
Read more about her.
Let's delve into a few of her notable k-drama characters:
Reply 1997 (2012) | That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013) | Lovers of Music / Trot Lovers (2014) | Work Later Drink Now Seasons 1 and 2 (2021 and 2022) | Miss Night and Day (2024)
Reply 1997 (2012)
Available on AppleTV, Prime Video, Viki (territories and periods vary)
Apink main vocalist Jung Eun-ji started her acting career strong with Reply 1997, a cultural phenomenon that broke ratings records and spawned two hit spin-offs: Reply 1994 (2013) and Reply 1988 (2015). In the beloved series about the lives and loves of six teenagers in Busan, she plays sassy H.O.T. fangirl Sung Shi-won.
Eunji went on to win the Baeksang Best New Actress award in 2013, as well as Best Couple awards with her co-star and fellow singer-actor Seo In-guk. Their kiss scene in this drama is the stuff of legends!
That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)
Available on AppleTV, Netflix, Viki (territories and periods vary)
After her successful acting debut in Reply 1997, Jung Eun-ji took on a supporting role in a drama led by Hallyu stars and penned by top writer Noh Hee-kyung, That Winter the Wind Blows.
The hit romance melodrama follows a gambler Oh Soo (Jo In-sung) who pretends to be the estranged brother of blind chaebol heiress Oh Young (Song Hye-kyo) in order to access her family wealth and pay off gangsters who are after him.
Eunji plays Moon Hee-sun, the younger sister of Oh Soo’s first love, who helps him carry out his deception. For her performance as the headstrong Hee-sun, she won the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards and Best Performance at the 2nd APAN Star Awards.
Lovers of Music / Trot Lovers (2014)
Available on Viki, YouTube KBS World Channel (territories and periods vary)
Putting her musical talent to good use, Jung Eun-ji took on the role of a trot singer in Lovers of Music (also known as Trot Lovers) co-starring Ji Hyun-woo as her romantic interest, Shin Sung-rok as the second male lead, and Lee Se-young as her rival.
In this 2014 KBS drama, she plays Choi Choon-hee, an aspiring trot singer who must work hard to support her family.
She was recognized with an Excellence Award from the 22nd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards and a Popularity Award from the KBS Drama Awards.
Work Later Drink Now Seasons 1 and 2 (2021 and 2022)
Available on AppleTV, Prime Video, Viu (territories and periods vary)
Three 30-something women—nearly alcoholic by any standard—try to get through their problems with work, family, and men by discussing everything over incredible food and copious amounts of lukewarm soju. Together, YouTuber Kang Ji-gu (Jung Eun-ji), variety show producer Ahn So-hee (Lee Sun-bin), and yoga instructor Han Ji-yeon (Han Sun-hwa) try their best to live sober lives in between drinking sessions at their favorite bar.
But the trio can only go dry for so long, and in no time, life throws them one massive curveball after another, to which they respond with...what else? Shot after soju shot.
Read our Season 1 review of this hilarious and heartwarming female friendship drama.
Blind (2022)
Available on AppleTV (territories and periods vary)
After taking on her first thriller drama, Untouchable, in 2017, Jung Eun-ji returned to the genre in 2022 with OCN/tvN’s Blind.
In this mystery thriller, she plays social worker Jo Eun-ki, who works with brothers Ryu Seong-joon (fellow idol-actor Ok Taec-yeon of 2PM) and Ryu Seong-hoon (Ha Seok-jin) to solve a series of murders targeting jurors in a particular case.
Miss Night and Day (2024)
Available on Netflix (territories and periods vary)
Jung Eun-ji’s latest drama, the JTBC rom-com-mystery Miss Night and Day, wrapped up on August 4. In it, she plays Lee Mi-jin, a 20-something aspiring government worker who has failed every attempt to pass the civil service exam and find a stable job. After an encounter with a mysterious orange cat, she wakes up with the body of a much older woman every morning, but returns to her true appearance every sunset.
She takes on the identity of her long-missing aunt, Im Sun (Lee Jung-eun) in order to work as an intern at the prosecutor’s office during the day.
Im Sun gets assigned to the office of surly prosecutor Gye Ji-ung (Choi Jin-hyuk) who she happens to have a crush on. As Mi-jin/Im Sun struggles to keep her predicament under wraps and undo the strange spell, she helps her colleagues solve a drugs and serial murder case.
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