Ko So-young (; born October 6, 1972) is a South Korean actress and model.

Early life

Ko was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. She attended an all-female high school before gaining early admission to

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and ...

, where she studied computer science.

Career

Ko debuted in the

TV drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...

''Love Tomorrow'' in 1993 and quickly established herself as a representative star of her generation. She made her film debut opposite

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie '' Beat'' (1997), for which ...

in ''

The Fox with Nine Tails ''The Fox with Nine Tails'' () is a 1994 South Korean film. It was the first feature film by the director Park Heon-su. It was also the film debut of the leading actors Ko So-young and Jung Woo-sung, who later starred together in '' Beat'' (1997 ...

'' in 1994, which was the first Korean film to use computer-generated imagery. However, it failed to make an impression on audiences or critics. Ko first achieved wide recognition through her role in ''

Beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

'' (again with Jung Woo-sung), a film that caught the imagination of many South Korean high school students. Since then she has acted in a series of successful melodramas, portraying a young model in ''

If the Sun Rises in the West ''If the Sun Rises in the West'' () is a 1998 South Korean film, and was the commercial directorial debut of Lee Eun. Plot Beom-soo is a traffic control officer who aspires to become a baseball umpire. By chance he meets Hyun-joo, a theatre ma ...

'', a Jeju Island tour guide in ''

Love Wind Love Song ''Love Wind Love Song'' () is a 1999 South Korean romance film about a Seoul businessman (Jang Dong-gun) who comes to Jeju Island and meets a lonely tour guide (Ko So-young). Cast * Jang Dong-gun as Tae-hee * Ko So-young as Young-seo * Park Jin- ...

'', and a Korean American adoptee in ''Love''. In 2001, Ko teamed up with actor

Lee Sung-jae Lee Sung-jae (born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films '' Art Museum by the Zoo'', ''Attack the Gas Station'', ''Barking Dogs Never Bite'', and '' Kick the Moon'', as well as the television series ...

in ''A Day'', about a married couple who have trouble conceiving a child. Her acting in the film was much praised and garnered the Best Actress prize from the local

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

ceremony. Then, after two years off, Ko returned in 2003 opposite Han Suk-kyu in the spy thriller ''

Double Agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organ ...

''; however, the film failed to live up to the expectations of most viewers and critics. She then shot two films in 2006: the horror film ''

APT Apt. is an abbreviation for apartment. Apt may also refer to: Places * Apt Cathedral, a former cathedral, and national monument of France, in the town of Apt in Provence * Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France * A ...

'' by director

Ahn Byeong-ki Ahn Byeong-ki (born November 5, 1966 or 1967) is a South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter specializing in horror films. His representative horror works are ''Phone'' and '' Bunshinsaba'' while his non-horror produced movies invo ...

, and the romantic comedy ''

Project Makeover ''Project Makeover'' (; also known as ''Operation Makeover'' or ''Go Go Sister'') is a 2007 South Korean film. In an online poll conducted by web portal Daum, Korean netizens named ''Project Makeover'' as the worst film of 2007. Plot Na Jung- ...

'' by debut director Jeon Young-gap. After two commercial flops in 2007 with ''Project Makeover'' and the SBS drama ''Blue Fish'', Ko went into a hiatus. A decade after her last appearance, Ko made a comeback with the KBS drama '' Ms. Perfect''.

Personal life

Ko married actor

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers i ...

in a star-studded wedding ceremony held at Seoul's Shilla Hotel on May 2, 2010, while five months pregnant. The couple's first child, a son Jang Min-joon, was born on October 4, 2010. Their second child, a daughter, was born on February 25, 2014.

Filmography

Films

Television series

References

External links

* * *
Ko So-young
at Koreanfilm.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, So-young South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses South Korean female models Chung-Ang University alumni 1972 births Living people Actresses from Seoul Models from Seoul