[CELEB] Actor Kwon Yu-ri is juggling her roles on and off screen

After the global success of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” cable channel ENA is pinning its hopes on its next offering “Good Job,” starring leads Kwon Yu-ri and Jung Il-woo.

The first two episodes, which aired last week, garnered an average viewership rating of 2.2 percent, a win considering that its predecessor began with a rating of 0.9 percent before wrapping up with a whopping 17.5 percent rating for the last episode.

“Good Job,” which is a mix of two genres — sleuthing and romance — revolves around the all-seeing Don se-ra who has supernatural powers, portrayed by Kwon, and the CEO of a chaebol group Eun Sun-woo, portrayed by Jung, who leads a double life as a detective to discover the truth behind his mysterious dark past.

The pair returns to the small screen together after their prior hit together with MBN’s “Bossam: Steal The Fate” last year. The series, which ended with a viewership rating of 9.8 percent for its last episode, is the highest-rated drama series on the cable channel. Set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the narrative revolves around a traditional custom in the Joseon period, called bossam, when a bachelor wraps a widow in a blanket at night to make her his wife. This custom changes the fate of two people — Ba-woo, portrayed by Jung, when he kidnaps Yi Su-kyeong, portrayed by Kwon, the King’s widowed daughter, by mistake.

During an online press event Wednesday, the pair emphasized that the main reason they decided to take the roles in “Good Job” were each other. 
 
“The most important reason why I decided to take on the role was Jung,” Kwon said. “We created great synergy together on our prior hit and I had a lot to learn from him as we filmed together, such as his sincerity and earnestness in his acting.”
 
“I am so grateful to do another series together with Kwon,” Jung responded. “We are continuing to emit great chemistry together since our prior series.”
 
Similar to her character Don Se-ra, Kwon is also leading a double life as a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation. The iconic group returned to the K-pop scene with its seventh full-length album “Forever 1” on Aug. 8 in celebration of the 15th anniversary of its debut. To promote its comeback, all eight members have been busy with appearances on multiple variety shows such as its own reality show “Soshi Tam Tam,” which launched on JTBC last month, as well as performances on music shows and at summer festivals.

Kwon said she had to build up her physical stamina to juggle her two careers.

“It was pre-scheduled that I had to juggle two roles,” she said. “I had to build up my stamina in advance to undertake [both acting and singing]. There’s also the energy and support that I received from other members, as well as our fans.”

Kwon initially debuted as part of the nine-member Girls’ Generation under SM Entertainment in August 2007 through the track “Into the New World.” An ionic girl group in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the group has made a name for itself with a variety of hits including “Gee” (2010), “Genie” (2010), and “The Boys” (2011). The members, aside from their multiple talents in singing, dancing and acting —  are beloved by the masses for their exceptionally tight-knit chemistry. 

Girls’ Generation is also one of the longest active K-pop groups. Although three of its members  —  Sooyoung, Seohyun, and Tiffany — did not renew their contracts with SM Entertainment as of 2017 and went their separate ways, the girl group has managed to find a way to make a comeback to the music scene as a whole with “Forever 1,” which is its first music since its sixth full-length album “Holiday night,” which was released in 2017.

Of the now-eight members, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun are also active as actors.

At the local press event, Kwon said that she had enjoyed watching “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”

“The cast of ‘Good Job’ are all dedicating themselves passionately to the series, and we hope that the torch [of glory] set forth by our predecessor will be passed on to us as well,” Kwon said.

“Good Job” airs on ENA every Wednesday and Thursday at 9 p.m. The series is also available for streaming through the local platform Seezn.


Yuri (Kwon Yu-ri)



Date of Birth: Dec. 5, 1989
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Seodaemun District, western Seoul
Debut: August 2007 as a member of girl group Girls’ Generation  
Agency: SM Entertainment


Singer and actor Kwon Yu-ri debuted as part of k-pop group Girls’ Generation created by SM Entertainment in August 2007 through the track “Into The World.” Girls’ Generation remains one of the longest active K-pop groups, which celebrated the 15th anniversary of its debut this August with its seventh full-length album “Forever 1.” Kwon dropped her first solo EP “The First Scene” in October 2018. She first appeared on the small screen through SBS television series “Fashion King” (2012) and landed lead roles in other series such as “Gogh, The Starry Night” (2016), “Innocent Defendant” (2017) on SBS, and “Bossam: Steal the Fate” (2021) on MBN. 

This information was confirmed by SM Entertainment on Aug. 25, 2022. 

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]