Old college festival poster of Go Youn-jung goes viral

A 2016 Seoul Women's University festival poster featuring actress Go Youn-jung has gained renewed attention online. The image of the then-art student has resurfaced as she reflects on her journey from an uncertain student to a global star following her 2019 acting debut.

Actress Go Youn-jung is drawing renewed attention due to her striking beauty and unexpected career struggles prior to her debut. As testimonies emerge that customers flocked to a college festival pub because of her appearance on a poster 10 years ago, it is revealed that the Go Youn-jung of that time never even imagined becoming an actress. The stories contained in her past interviews—tracing her journey from an ordinary college student struggling with a slump in the art studies she had pursued for seven years to a global content star—are gaining fresh interest.

Recently, a poster for a pub featuring Go Youn-jung as a model during the 2016 Seoul Women's University festival has become a hot topic online. The image shows her wearing a white knit sweater, resting her chin on one hand while looking at the camera, with the phrase "Fine Arts Ward" written on the poster. Amidst the presence of soju bottles on the table and the unique atmosphere of a college festival, Go Youn-jung's distinct features, which remain largely unchanged, have captured attention.

At the time, Go Youn-jung was a student in the Class of '15 in the Department of Modern Art at Seoul Women's University. An online user who identified as an alumna recalled the college festival days, stating, "We used her photo for the pub poster, and it was a given that it would be full. I received so many questions from friends visiting the school asking who she was." The user added that the photo "could never capture her actual appearance," noting that her real-life presence was even more impressive than in the picture.

The same user expressed that even after she began her career as an actress, they felt the screen did not fully capture her real-life charm. They also praised her attitude alongside her looks, noting, "Her face was so beautiful, but she was also very bright in her greetings." While her stunning appearance first drew eyes, her bright and friendly demeanor toward those around her was also impressive at the time.

However, looking at Go Youn-jung's interview as the cover model for the March 2016 issue 771 of the college magazine Daehak Naeil, her interests at the time were far from achieving success as an actress. The interview title was "I want to find what I want to do. I believe in myself." Having studied art since the first grade of middle school, she prepared for entrance exams to an arts high school in her third year of middle school but did not achieve the desired results, subsequently transferring to an arts high school to continue her studies.

Having clung to a single field for a long time, her worries were deep. At the time, Go Youn-jung confessed, "Perhaps because I have been doing art for a long time, I feel exhausted and like I am in a slump. Lately, I find myself worrying about my career every day." Although she had walked the path of art for a long time, it was difficult to be certain if that was the direction she truly desired. Her goal was not to become a famous actress; she expressed a desire to find what she wanted to do by traveling, experiencing various part-time jobs, meeting many people, and trying new things.

The turning point in her life came through an unexpected opportunity. In an interview during the release of Disney+ "Moving" in 2023, Go Youn-jung explained that she applied to be a cover model for Daehak Naeil at the suggestion of a photography student during her college years and was unexpectedly selected. Although she received calls from various entertainment agencies after the shoot, she rejected them all at first because she believed she did not suit the entertainment industry. Recalling those days, she said, "There is no talent for being a celebrity in my family. I couldn't sing, I couldn't dance, and I couldn't even imagine acting."

It was the suggestion of her current agency CEO that changed her mind. Following the advice not to decide she couldn't do something without trying, Go Youn-jung began learning acting. She used money earned from modeling to pay for acting academy fees, took a leave of absence from school, and carved out a new career path by taking on auditions. She stepped onto the unfamiliar path of an actress, leaving behind the art she had studied for a long time.

Go Youn-jung began her acting career in 2019 with the tvN drama "He Is Psychometric." Since then, she has appeared in Netflix "Sweet Home," JTBC "Law School," and tvN "Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow," and increased her public recognition by playing the role of Jang Hui-soo in Disney+ "Moving." Last year, she played a leading role in "Resident Playbook," and this year, she expanded her range by playing the global star Cha Mu-hee in the Netflix series "Can This Love Be Translated?"

Ten years ago, the Go Youn-jung in the college pub poster was an art student who captured the attention of those around her, yet she was worrying about her future without certainty. Having once rejected agency offers because she thought she lacked the talent to be a celebrity, she has now established herself as an actress attracting interest from viewers both domestically and internationally. The reason the past photo is trending again is not merely due to her unchanging beauty, but because it is intriguing to see how the choice of a person to courageously step onto a path they once thought was unsuitable created the Go Youn-jung of today.

Read the original (Korean)