Happy 24th birthday Krystal Soo Jung! 5 reasons why the K-pop star is China’s darling
K-pop singer and actress Krystal Soo Jung turns 24 today, and the celebrity continues to gather legions of loyal fans who admire her powerhouse talent and keen fashion sense.
Jung has come a long way since she was discovered by South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment at the tender age of six. Some of the notable highs in her career include a starring role in the television drama series The Heirs, and, of course, an ongoing stint with the all-girl band f(x).
Jung is also a successful crossover star in China, and is fast becoming a household name. On her birthday, we look at five ways in which she continues to wow her Chinese fans.
She visited primary schools in Yunnan in June
Krystal headed to Yunnan province’s Young Chang and Guan Suo primary schools on International Children’s Day in June and held dozens of young pupils in thrall as she got creative with them. The charity event, titled “CJ Dream and Share Classroom”, was aimed at improving the learning environment for pupils, and was held in cooperation between Seoul-based CJ Group and China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development.
The Korean star has paired with Chinese heartthrob Deng Lun for the Chinese television series Graduation Season. Due to be released this year, the much-anticipated fashion drama – which reportedly will run to 40 episodes – has Jung playing a rookie fashion designer, Ye Ran, who joins a company run by An Jingchen (Lun), an inexperienced heir to the family business who is trying to make a name for himself. The two characters, always in conflict with each other initially, later fall in love. The series’ release date is yet to be announced.
She starred in the film ‘Unexpected Love’ with EXO-M’s Lay
Jung also played a starring role in the romantic film Unexpected Love. The hit film, which released in July, follows the lives of an aspiring Chinese singer – played by Lay, of the Chinese boy band EXO-M – and a South Korean dancer (Jung), who slowly develop a friendship despite their cultural differences as they look for love and success.
She was named Fashion Icon at the Jumei awards
Praised for her career in the entertainment industry, Jung was honoured with the title Fashion Icon at China’s famous Jumei award ceremony in 2016. Her bandmate Victoria Song got the Best Popularity Goddess gong.
She modelled for Gap’s ‘Let’s Gap Together’ campaign with Singaporean singer JJ Lin
Jung was invited to be the face of Gap’s Chinese campaign in 2015 because of her “fresh personality”, alongside Singapore’s JJ Lin, a singer and producer.
“At first, of course, I was a little bit shy,” Lin said in an interview when asked about his work with Jung on the Gap campaign. “This time, through Gap, I was so happy to get to know Krystal. Although the time we spent together wasn’t very long, I know she is a very easy-going and free-spirited person.”
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With roles in Chinese film and TV and a Jumei award under her belt, the Korean actress and singer is a household name in China