Jin Ki Joo turns 35 today – My Perfect Stranger actress starting the year off right

Jin Ki Joo starring in My Perfect Stranger — photo courtesy KBS

It is South Korean actress Jin Ki Joo’s birthday today.

She turns 35 years old, and it looks like she already has a busy 2024 ahead of her with less than a month of the new year over.

So far, Jin Ki Joo has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming drama Uncle Samsik alongside Song Kang Ho, Byun Yo Han, Lee Kyu Hyung and Seo Hyun Woo.

The 10-episode drama is expected to premiere sometime in the first half of 2024 on Disney Plus.

The now-35-year-old actress is also cast in the upcoming film The Land of Happiness, which began filming in 2021 and currently has a 2024 release date.

With the recent suicide of fellow cast member Lee Sun Kyun, however, there may be a delay in its release.

Jin Ki Joo’s previous roles

Unlike other South Korean actresses, Jin Ki Joo got her start in the entertainment industry slightly later as she first worked at Samsung SDS and then as an SBS reporter before concentrating on an acting career.

Her acting career took off at the age of 25 in 2015, however, with a support role in the K-drama Twenty Again.

Since then, Jin Ki Joo has had support or guest roles in dramas like The Good Wife, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Misty, and One More Happy Ending before grabbing the industry’s attention in the lead role of Han Jae Yi in Come and Hug Me.

She then went on to star in The Secret Life of My Secretary, Homemade Love Story, and From Now On, Showtime!

Her lead role in 2018 in the movie Little Forest was also critically acclaimed.

In 2023, Jin Ki Joo was the female lead alongside Kim Dong Wook in the very popular KBS2 drama My Perfect Stranger.

Awards for Jin Ki Joo’s

The Korean actress has been nominated for a plethora of acting awards, including Best New Actress at the Chunsa Film Art Awards, which she won for her performance in the movie Little Forest.

Jin Ki Joo has also been awarded a KBS Drama Award for Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama for her performance in Homemade Love Story, as well as two Best Couple Awards for being half of a popular couple in the dramas Come and Hug Me (with Jang Ki Yong) and in Homemade Love Story (with Lee Jang Woo).

With 2024 just under a month old, no announcements have yet been made about future dramas or movies starring Jin Ki Joo but, with her superb performance in My Perfect Stranger last year and the buzz surrounding it, it is highly unlikely the year will go by without more cool performances from the talented actress.

Until then, Happy Birthday Jin Ki Joo. We hope you have a lovely one.

About Michelle Topham

Brit-American journalist based in Austria, former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I've covered K-drama, K-pop, J-pop and music news for over a decade.