Jung Eun-ji


Jung Eun-ji is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being a member of the South Korean girl group Apink. Jung released her debut solo extended play Dream in 2016.
Jung made her acting debut in the critically acclaimed hit coming-of-age television series Reply 1997 in 2012. She won several awards for her role including the 49th Baeksang Arts Award for Best New TV Actress. She has since had roles in That Winter, the Wind Blows, Lovers of Music, Cheer Up!, Untouchable, Work Later, Drink Now, Blind, Miss Night and Day, and Pump Up the Healthy Love.
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Early life and education

Jung Eun-ji was born as Jung Hye-rim in Haeundae District, Busan on August 18, 1993. Her name was legally changed to Jung Eun-ji when she was in middle school. She has a younger brother who is eight years younger than her.
Jung attended Shinjae Elementary School, Jaesong Girls' Middle School, and Busan Hyehwa Girls' High School. She traveled back and forth to Busan to continue her studies while promoting as an idol in Seoul. She graduated from high school in February 2012.

Career

Pre-debut

In July 2004, Jung participated in the KBS Busan Nursery Rhyme Contest Fun Day and won the grand prize.
In February 2011, Jung passed the audition to become the main vocalist of Apink. On February 14, 2011, she moved to Seoul to start her debut preparation. She had not received any professional training prior to joining Apink, and trained for only two months with the group before debuting.

2011: Debut with Apink

In March 2011, Jung was revealed to be the fourth member of Apink via an online video of her covering Jennifer Hudson's "Love You I Do". Jung joined the rest of the group to film Apink News prior to their debut. On April 21, 2011, Jung made her debut as a main vocalist of Apink on Mnet's M Countdown with two songs, "Mollayo" and "Wishlist", from the group's debut extended play Seven Springs of Apink.

2012–2015: Solo activities, acting debut, and rising popularity

Jung has collaborated with various artists for OSTs and promotional songs. For the project A Cube for Season #Green, Jung Eun-ji and fellow Cube artist Yang Yo-seob, sang the duet track "Love Day".
Jung made her acting debut in Reply 1997, a 1990s nostalgic dramedy which became one of the highest-rated Korean series on cable television. She played the female protagonist, a hardcore H.O.T. fan who becomes a TV drama writer. Jung was complimented by critics and audiences for her comedic and emotional acting, which was impressive for a newcomer, as well as for her authentic Busan dialect. The role won her several awards, including the 49th Baeksang Arts Award for Best New TV Actress.
In August 2012, Jung recorded two promotional singles, "All For You" and "Our Love Like This" with Reply 1997 co-star Seo In-guk for the drama's soundtrack. "All For You" became one of the best-selling singles of the year on the Gaon Single Chart.
In September 2012, Jung was cast in the Korean staging of the Hollywood film-turned-musical Legally Blonde, playing the lead role of Elle Woods. The show ran from November 16, 2012, to March 17, 2013.
In October 2012, Jung was then cast as the second female lead in the 2013 melodrama That Winter, the Wind Blows. For her role, she won Best Performance at the 2nd APAN Star Awards and New Star Award at the 2013 SBS Drama Awards.
In 2013 and 2014, Jung collaborated with label-mate Huh Gak for duets titled "Short Hair" and "Break Up To Make Up" respectively, which were well received by listeners and ranked atop major online music charts in Korea. She released her first solo single titled "Its You" for the soundtrack of Three Days.
In 2014, she starred in another musical, the stage adaptation of 2004 series Full House. Afterwards, Jung starred in the romantic comedy series Lovers of Music, which depicts a female singer's struggles to become successful in the old-fashioned musical genre trot.
In 2015, Jung starred as the female lead in KBS2 high school drama Cheer Up! playing the role of a high school student who ranks at the bottom of her class.

2016–present: Solo debut, continuous solo activities, and acting resurgence

On April 18, 2016, Jung debuted as a solo artist with the EP Dream, which consisted of six songs. The title track "Hopefully Sky" is written by Jung, which recounts the times she spent with her father. "Hopefully Sky" topped eight local music charts, and the album sold 30,000 copies upon release. In April 2017, Jung released her second EP The Space. The title track "The Spring" and its accompanying music video was unveiled on April 10, and debuted within the top ten spots on local music charts. From June 3 to 5, Jung held her first solo concert titled "Attic" at Ewha Womans University's Samsung Hall.
In 2017, Jung was cast in JTBC's action melodrama Untouchable which began airing on November 24.
In 2018, Jung was cast in the horror film 0.0MHz, based on the webtoon of the same name. On October 18, 2018, Jung released a music video for the single "Being There", from her third EP Hyehwa.
In 2020, Jung was cast in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. On July 15, 2020, Jung released her fourth EP Simple, along with the title track "Away".
In 2021, Jung was cast in TVING's web series Work Later, Drink Now as Kang Ji-goo, an origami YouTuber. The series premiered at the Cannes International Series Festival 2022 from April 1 to April 6, 2022.
In September 2022, she starred in the mystery thriller television series Blind, portraying the role of a social worker.
On October 30, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that the release of the remake album Log, which was originally scheduled to be released on November 2, has been postponed to November 11 due to the aftermath of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush.
On November 17, 2022, IST Entertainment announced that Jung would be holding "Travelog" solo concerts on December 10 and 11.
On April 28, 2023, IST Entertainment announced that Jung had renewed her contract with the company for the 3rd time.
On July 31, 2023, Jung was confirmed to portray the role of Lee Mijin in the JTBC series Miss Night and Day.
On August 13, 2024, Jung surpassed 1.01 billion cumulative streams on Melon, Korea's largest music streaming platform, and was named a member of the "New Billions Club - Bronze Club." On the same day, she surpassed 120,000 daily streams compared to the previous day, putting her shoulder to shoulder with the top Korean artists representing each genre.
On May 2, 2025, IST Entertainment announced that its exclusive contract with Jung had recently come to an end after 14 years. Following this, Billions also shared an official statement that they had signed an exclusive contract with her.

Discography

Composition credits

All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.
TitleYearArtistAlbumComposerLyricistArranger
"Promise U" 2015ApinkPink Memory
"Hopefully Sky" 2016Jung Eun-jiDream
"Dear "2016ApinkDear
"That Spring, This Autumn" 2016ApinkDear
"First Love" 2017Jung Eun-jiThe Space
"Moon of Seoul" 2017Jung Eun-jiThe Space
"Miracle" 2018ApinkMiracle
"For Hyehwa" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Being There" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Seasons Change" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"The Box" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Thinking About You" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"B"2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Farewell" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Sae-byuk" 2018Jung Eun-jiHyehwa
"Be With Me" 2019Jung Eun-ji with 10cm
"Everybody Ready?"2020ApinkLook
"Simple is the Best"2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"Away"2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"Whoo" 2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"Stay" 2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"Moisturising" 2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"A Slow Child" 2020Jung Eun-jiSimple
"Dream"2022ApinkHorn

Awards and nominations

Award ceremonyYearCategoryNominee / workResult
Asia Artist Awards2021Female Solo Singer Popularity AwardJung Eun-jiNomitated
APAN Star Awards2012Best OSTJung Eun-ji Won
APAN Star Awards2012Best CoupleJung Eun-ji Won
APAN Star Awards2012Acting Award, ActressReply 1997Nomitated
APAN Star Awards2012Rising Star AwardReply 1997Won
APAN Star Awards2013Best PerformanceThat Winter, the Wind BlowsWon
Baeksang Arts Awards2013Best New TV ActressReply 1997Won
Brand of the Year Awards2020Radio DJ of the YearJung Eun-jiWon
Gaon Chart Music Awards2013Songs of the Year – September"All For You" Won
KBS Drama Awards2014Excellence Award, Actress in a MiniseriesLovers of MusicNomitated
KBS Drama Awards2014Best New ActressLovers of MusicNomitated
KBS Drama Awards2014Popularity Award, ActressLovers of MusicWon
KBS Drama Awards2015Popularity Award, ActressCheer Up!Nomitated
KBS Drama Awards2025Popularity Award, ActressPump Up the Healthy LoveWon
KBS Drama Awards2025Best Couple AwardJung Eun-ji
Pump Up the Healthy Love		Won
KBS Entertainment Awards2019New DJ of the Year Award'Won
Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards2014Excellence Award, Actress in a DramaLovers of MusicWon
Korea Drama Awards2012Best CoupleJung Eun-ji Won
Korea First Brand Awards2019Radio DJ'Won
Korea Grand Prize Awards202110 People Who Shined KoreaJung Eun-jiWon
Melon Music Awards2012Best OST"All For You" Won
Melon Music Awards2014Best OST"It's You" Three DaysNomitated
Melon Music Awards2016Best Ballad Award"Hopefully Sky"Won
Melon Music Awards2017Top 10 ArtistsJung Eun-jiNomitated
Melon Music Awards2017Folk/Blues Song"The Spring"Won
Melon Music Awards2021Top 10Jung Eun-ji Nomitated
Melon Music Awards2021Netizen Popularity AwardJung Eun-ji Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2012Best OST"All For You" Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards2014Best Collaboration"Break Up to Make Up" Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2014Song of the Year"Break Up to Make Up" Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2016Artist of the YearJung Eun-jiNomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2016Best Female ArtistJung Eun-jiNomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2016Best Vocal Performance Female Solo"Hopefully Sky"Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2016Song of the Year"Hopefully Sky"Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2017Best Vocal Performance Female Solo"The Spring"Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2017Qoo10 Song of the Year"The Spring"Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2021Best OST"Love Day" Nomitated
Mnet Asian Music Awards2021Song of The Year"Love Day" Nomitated
SBS Drama Awards2013Best New ActressThat Winter, the Wind BlowsWon
SBS MTV Best of the Best2014Best Collaboration"Break Up to Make Up" Won
Seoul International Youth Film Festival2014Best Young ActressLovers of MusicWon
Seoul International Youth Film Festival2014Best OST by a Female Artist"It's You" Three DaysNomitated
Seoul Music Awards2021Best OST"Love Day" Nomitated
Style Icon Awards2012Top 10 Style IconJung Eun-ji
Reply 1997		Won
tvN10 Awards2016Best KissJung Eun-ji
Reply 1997		Won
tvN10 Awards2016Made in tvN, Actress in DramaJung Eun-ji
Reply 1997		Nomitated
TVING Awards2021Womance of the YearJung Eun-jiWon