Jeon Yu-na (Korean전유나; born July 18, 2011) is a South Korean child actress. She gained international recognition for her role as the childhood Sunja in Apple TV+ series Pachinko in 2022, and as the genius girl Choi Ro-hee in ENA series The Kidnapping Day in 2023. For her role in The Kidnapping Day, she was awarded the Best New Actress (Television category) in the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2024.[1]

Jeon Yu-na
Born (2011-07-18) July 18, 2011 (age 12)
South Korea
OccupationActress
Years active2018–present
AgentSaram
Korean name
Hangul
전유나
Revised RomanizationJeon Yu-na
McCune–ReischauerChŏn Yuna

Life and career edit

Yuna was born on July 18, 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. She started acting at a very young age of 5[2] when she went to a local music academy, when her mom recognized her acting talent.[3] She took some guest and minor roles in several Korean movies and television series such as Juror 8 and Hellbound,[4] before getting international recognition for playing the childhood Sunja in Pachinko. Her role in Pachinko was praised as a delightful performance.[5] She was only 10 years old during the filming, and she was immersed in the character by understanding what the Koreans had experienced during the Japanese colonization.[6] She cast the childhood Sunja character as observant, precocious, and have a lot of curiosity on what happened around her.[7]

After Pachinko, she worked on some other Korean television series such as Green Mother's Club and Secret of the Lightning Cloak, and signed an exclusive contract with Saram Entertainment[8] before auditioning for the role of Choi Ro-hee in The Kidnapping Day. She won the role by overcoming a competition rate of 500 to 1[9] and surviving 5 rounds of auditions. She was praised for her delicate acting skills that is unusual for a child actress her age[10] and for her ability to maintain a good chemistry with the lead actor, Yoon Kye-sang.[11][12] Kye-sang praised her for acting professionally like an adult.[13] Another fellow actress in the drama, Seo Jae-hee, also praised her, stating that Yuna has a pure, lovely, wise and innate personality.[14] For her role in The Kidnapping Day, she was awarded the Best Child Actress at the 2023 Seoulcon APAN Star Awards.[15][16] She was also being awarded the Best New Actress (Television category) in the 2024 Baeksang Arts Awards.[17][1]

Between October 8, 2023 and November 19, 2023, together with Seol Ga-eun, Yuna is playing the Suzu role in Sea Village Diary, a theatre play based on a Japanese film called Our Little Sister, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.[18]

Filmography edit

Television series edit

Year Title Role Ref.
2021 Hellbound Sinner's daughter [4][19]
2022 Pachinko Childhood Sunja [4][19]
Green Mothers' Club Oh Sae-bom [19][20]
Secret of the Lightning Cloak Gong Da-hae [19]
2023 The Kidnapping Day Choi Ro-hee [19][21]

Theatres edit

Year Title Role Ref.
2023 Sea Village Diary Suzu [2][22]

Awards and nominations edit

Sortable table of awards and nominations received by Jeon Yu-na
Award Ceremony Year Category Nominee(s) / Work(s) Result Ref.
APAN Star Awards 2023 Best Child Actress The Kidnapping Day Won [15][16]
Baeksang Arts Awards 2024 Best New Actress – Television Won [1][23]
Most Popular Actress Jeon Yu-na Nominated

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Lee, Seung-hoon (May 7, 2024). '무빙'→'서울의 봄' 대상..'파묘'는 4관왕 [제60회 백상예술대상][종합] ['Moving' → 'Seoul Spring' Grand Prize..'Buried Grave' wins 4 awards [60th Baeksang Arts Awards] [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024 – via Naver.
  2. ^ a b 조선비즈 (October 21, 2023). "윤계상도 반한!..'유괴의 날' 유나, '500대 1' 뚫은 연기천재 소녀[인터뷰 종합]". 조선비즈 (in Korean). Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "'유괴의 날' 유나 "500대 1 경쟁률? 감독님이 기세가 남다르다고..." [IS인터뷰]". 일간스포츠 (in Korean). October 22, 2023. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c 오명언 (October 17, 2023). "'유괴의 날' 유나 "모든 대사와 눈빛에 제 나름의 해석 담았죠"". 연합뉴스 (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  5. ^ James, Caryn. "Pachinko review: A 'dazzling, heartfelt Korean epic'". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "Soo Hugh's 'Pachinko' Adaptation Confronts Japan's Colonization of Korea". Harper's BAZAAR. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  7. ^ ""There is a curse in my blood": 'Pachinko' is a Fascinating Exploration of Endurance, Family, and Time| Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  8. ^ 조선일보 (January 26, 2023). "[공식] '파친코'서 김민하X윤여정 아역 유나, 사람엔터와 전속계약 체결". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  9. ^ star, Y. T. N. (October 17, 2023). "[Y터뷰] '유괴의 날' 유나 "윤계상, 최고의 삼촌...작품 하며 god 팬 됐다"". YTN star (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  10. ^ star, Y. T. N. (September 26, 2023). "[Y초점] 유나가 '유괴의 날' 최로희여야만 했던 이유". YTN star (in Korean). Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  11. ^ 입력: 2023.08.07 10:01 (August 7, 2023). "윤계상, 유나 납치한다 (유괴의 날)". sports.khan.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 22, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ 스포탈코리아 (October 24, 2023). "윤계상 덕분에 울고 웃는다..'유괴의 날' 하드캐리 열연". 스포츠전문 콘텐츠 기업 스포탈코리아 (in Korean). Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  13. ^ "윤계상, "다른 모습 보여드리는 것보다 지켜가는 것도 중요하다고 생각한다" : 네이트 연예". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "'유괴의 날' 서재희 "'500:1 경쟁률' 유나에 '깜짝'…아이의 힘" [엑's 인터뷰①] : 네이트 연예". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "'King The Land' couple Lee Junho and YoonA lead the way at the 2023 APAN star awards - see complete list of winners". The Times of India. December 31, 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "유나, '2023 서울콘 에이판 스타 어워즈' 청소년 아역상 수상". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Hwang, So-young (April 8, 2024). 60회 맞은 '백상예술대상' TV·영화·연극 후보 공개 [60th 'Baeksang Arts Awards' TV, Film and Theater Candidates Revealed] (in Korean). JTBC News. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via Naver.
  18. ^ Newsis (August 14, 2023). "한혜진·박하선·임수향, 연극 '바닷마을 다이어리' 출연". mobile.newsis.com (in Korean). Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d e "'유괴의 날' 유나 "500대 1 경쟁률? 감독님이 기세가 남다르다고..." [IS인터뷰] : 네이트 연예". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Yudhistira, Dyan. "13 Artis Pendukung di Drama Korea Green Mothers Club". IDN Times (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Yoon Kye-sang to deliver heartfelt message about family with 'The Kidnapping Day'". koreatimes. September 14, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "[Stage] 연극 '바닷마을 다이어리'". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "PRIZM | Baeksang Arts Awards Popularity Award Voting". Prizm. Retrieved April 24, 2024.

External links edit