Did You Know? Go Yoon Jung Almost Starred in "Parasite"

Go Yoon Jung may be one of today’s rising K-drama favorites, but her journey into the spotlight didn’t exactly follow a straight path.

Known for her roles in Alchemy of Souls, Moving and the currently airing Resident Playbook, the actress has earned a solid fanbase thanks to her grounded charm and emotional range. But before her official debut, she came surprisingly close to appearing in one of the most iconic Korean films in recent memory, Parasite.

While promoting Resident Playbook on Korean variety show Yoo Quiz on the Block, Go Yoon Jung opened up about her very first acting experience—and it just so happened to be an audition for Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture 2020 Oscar winner, Parasite.

She revealed that she had auditioned for the role of Yeon-kyo’s daughter—the same character that ultimately went to Jung Ji So. “I don’t remember much, like it was a dream, but it was amazing to see real celebrities,” she recalled on the show, according to an English translation by k-enews.com. Director Bong even told her she resembled Jo Yeo Jeong, who played the glamorous and naive mother in the film. Yoon Jung made it to the final round of auditions, but the role slipped past her.

Both Parasite and He Is Psychometric were released in 2019, but it was the latter that marked Yoon Jung’s official on-screen debut.

Fast forward to now, and Go Yoon Jung is leading Resident Playbook, a spin-off of Hospital Playlist. She plays Oh Yi-young, a first-year OB-GYN resident navigating the ups and downs of hospital life. “It felt grand, like I was entering an entirely different world,” she said on Yoo Quiz on the Block, comparing its scale to something straight out of the Marvel universe.

Director Shin Won Ho, who also directed Hospital Playlist, has shown his support, even surprising her with a coffee truck on set. “She’s such a great actress but still hasn’t fully become a celebrity. I came to cheer her on because she gets so nervous,” he said warmly.

Interestingly enough, acting wasn’t always part of her plan. Yoon Jung majored in Western Painting at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and initially got noticed through a magazine shoot. “It was for College Tomorrow, and my now-agency’s CEO contacted my department. I actually asked them not to give out my number,” she said with a laugh. She also has a background in ballet, making her the only member of her science-focused family to pursue the arts.

Many fans first discovered Yoon Jung through Moving, where she played Jang Hui-soo—a high schooler with self-healing powers inherited from her father, played by Ryu Seung Ryong. The action-packed Disney+ series gained major international attention, and for Yoon Jung, it became a career-defining moment.

“People used to say, ‘I’m a fan,’ but now I mostly hear, ‘I really enjoyed Moving,’” she said proudly. “It’s the most mentioned project when people approach me.”