Alumna Says Go Youn-jung Looked Even Better in Person Than on Her 2016 Campus Festival Poster

"Even that poster photo could never capture the real thing," a netizen who says they graduated from the same school wrote of actor Go Youn-jung. A 2016 Seoul Women's University festival pub poster from her student days, before her debut, has been spreading across online communities.

Posted under "famous for her looks even in college"

The poster was posted recently under the title "Go Youn-jung, who was famous for being pretty even in college." In it, she wears a white knit top and long hair worn loose, resting her chin on her hand as she looks at the camera. The promotional piece carries the phrase "Art College Ward," and she appears both fresh-faced and sharp-featured. Without flashy styling or special staging, the image still draws the eye, and it fits the Go Youn-jung image the public knows today.

An alumnus's recollection

The netizen, who said they graduated from the same school, wrote on social media that they used a photo of Go Youn-jung, then a junior, on the poster for the art college's pub. "It was packed every time, and friends who came to visit the campus kept asking who she was," the netizen recalled. The photo apparently drew curiosity on campus from a single image.

The netizen also said the real person was far more striking than the photo. "When I saw her on TV after her debut, I was almost disappointed that she didn't come across on screen nearly as well as in person," the netizen said. The netizen added that Go Youn-jung is remembered as friendly and quick to greet people. With that firsthand memory added to praise for the old photo, her college years are drawing fresh attention.

From magazine cover to Netflix

Born in 1996, Go Youn-jung studied contemporary art at Seoul Women's University. While in college she also worked as a cover model for the student magazine Daehak Naeil, introducing her face to the public. She made her official debut in the 2019 tvN drama He Is Psychometric.

Since then she has taken on a different character in each project. She has made her presence felt in works including Sweet Home, Law School, Alchemy of Souls, Moving, Death's Game and Resident Playbook, and has extended her range to the Netflix series Can This Love Be Translated? She has established herself as a leading actor, backed by acting that crosses genres and a distinctive look.

The newly surfaced college photo is being taken as a sign that she had an uncommon presence even before becoming a star. Nearly a decade has passed, and interest in the old photo continues, with some reacting in surprise that her aura has changed so little and others pointing to the alumnus's testimony that the screen did not fully capture her.

Read the original (Korean)