Jeon Jong-seo, who was the only kid in his family and was born in Seoul, spent his early years in Canada before returning to South Korea to enroll in an arts high school, which helped him gain entrance to a university where he will study cinema. Without any prior acting experience, Jeon was cast in Lee Chang-dong’s mystery film Burning, which ultimately launched her career. She has been getting positive reviews for her performances since 2018.
Jeon gained worldwide recognition more recently when he played Tokyo in the South Korean adaptation of Money Heist. Jeon is rumored to star in the 2023 releases of the Netflix movie Ballerina and the Korean drama Wedding Impossible. Let’s look at each of this emerging star’s endeavors.
Burning (2018)
Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo play the main characters in Lee Chang-dong’s psychological thriller Burning, which he also co-wrote, produced, and directed. It centers on a young delivery boy named Jong-su who reconnects with his childhood friend Hae-mi (Jeon) after running into each other. She asks him to babysit the cat while she’s gone, but when she comes back, she brings a mysterious man, who immediately makes Jong-su wonder and have doubts. He begins to worry that Hae-mi might be in danger, and then all of a sudden, she vanishes.
Despite being Jeon’s first acting role, Burning gained widespread praise from critics for its uneasiness, ambiguity, and dramatic performances. Until the very end, when you’re left with a lot of unresolved concerns, the tale holds the audience’s interest and doesn’t let go—basically enriching the movie rather than ruining it.
Money Heist: Korea: Joint Economic Area (2022)
The project that most of you are familiar with Jeon from is none other than Money Heist: Korea: Joint Economic Area, a Korean adaptation of the well-known Spanish Money Heist series. The South Korean production gave the story its own unique spin. The thieves with various personalities, commanded by the Professor (Yoo Ji-tae), take over the mint of a unified Korea, setting it in a united Korean Peninsula. As the series’ narrator, Jeon portrays Tokyo, a North Korean woman with military experience who had assassinated loan sharks before the Professor hired her.
Don’t enter the Korean version if you prefer the original and only intend to compare the two. But if you’re a true fan of Korean entertainment, you’ll either prefer this remake to the original or at the very least appreciate the effort the performers made to embody the roles.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2021)
The primary characters of Bonnie and Mona Lisa Lee in the American fantasy thriller Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon are played by Kate Hudson and Jeon. The story centers on a poor single mother who makes friends with an odd girl who has supernatural abilities. They work together to commit the crimes in order to make quick, easy money, but as the police shut in on them, they struggle to avoid drawing unwelcome attention to themselves. The inventiveness of the concept, the interesting plot, and the groovy beats are reinforced by its amusing execution, which makes the movie entertaining to watch. Even if the plot may at times appear a touch thin, this fantasy thriller is a stylish and colorfully entertaining trip.
Nothing Serious (2021)
Nothing Serious is a love drama written and directed by Jeong Ga-young for CJ ENM, with Jeon Jong-seo and Son Seok-gu playing the lead roles of Ja-young and Woo-ri, respectively. Ja-young is a brave 29-year-old lady who only has a month of dating before her partner dumps her, leaving her drowning in debt. Woo-ri, a journalist who frequently writes about relationships, struggles with romantic relationships. When the two first meet, they both express a desire to avoid being by themselves, but they are also wary of becoming close to one another. This is the movie for you if you enjoy humorous, unabashed rom-coms. It instantly makes you feel better and melts your heart.
Ransom (2022)
Ransom is a South Korean K-drama that is based on the 2015 South Korean film Bargain and shows how people struggle after an earthquake. No Hyung-soo travels to the hotel to pay for Park Joo-young’s (Jeon) services, which is where the majority of the action takes place. He is unaware that he was taken there so that other parties might haggle over the cost of his organs. People there would do anything to survive when an earthquake struck during the auction. The decision to shoot many of its sequences in one take is truly commendable. Jeon contributes to elevating the intriguing plot with her nuanced performance.
The Call (2020)
Last but not least, if you want to support Jeon’s work so far, you must unquestionably check out The Call. Based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican thriller The Caller, the movie is a thriller. Kim Seo-yeon and Oh Young-sook are portrayed in it by Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo, respectively. The two depict two women who were born 20 years apart. Due to the abuse their mothers subject them to, they relate to one another and connect over an old cordless phone. Even though the idea of a phone conversation traveling through time is ludicrous, it still gives me chills. You are captivated by the plot and its unexpected turns thanks to the amazing work of both actresses. On Rotten Tomatoes, it presently has a score of 100 percent.
