Who is Jung Ji So? The Figure Skater Turned Actor Winning Hearts With Imitation

Who is Jung Ji So? The star-studded K-drama Imitation aired its final episode on July 23. It is adapted from a popular webtoon with the same title and the story revolves around the lives of idols in the entertainment industry.

The series finale of Imitation enjoyed a rise in viewership from its previous episode and Jung Ji So's idol character, the girl group member Ma Ha, earned much love among K-Pop fans. The show also features U-KISS’s Lee Jun Young, T-ara’s Park Ji-Yeon, ATEEZ’s YunHo, SF9’s Chani and HwiYoung, ex-PRISTIN's Lim NaYoung, g.o.d’s Danny Ahn, SeongHwa, JongHo, Park Yuri, Ahn JungHoon, MinSeo, Boys' Republic's SuWoong, and Shim EunJ in various roles.

The webtoon is popular all over the world with over 3.73 million subscribers on Kakao Page and more than 600,000 registered comments. The recently-concluded drama, however, has seen relatively lower ratings.

Who is Jung Ji So? 10 things to know about the Imitation actor

1. Actor Jung Ji So is a rising star. She is known for her acting in the Oscar-winning film Parasite. She also acted in the dramas W and The Cursed.

2. She used to be called by her real name Hyun SeungMin until 2019. However, she is now using her stage name Jung Ji So.

3. She was a figure skater, but at the recommendation of her acquaintances, she decided to become an actor and made her debut in the drama, according to kpopmap.com.

4. In Imitation, Ji So portrayed the character of a talented dancer Ma Ha, a K-pop idol and the center of the three-member girl group Tea Party. Her group members were played by Minseo and Lim Nayoung, who are singers in real life. Ma Ha showcases lovable energy and has a great sense of dance skills. Ji-So has revealed that Minseo and Lim Nayoung guided her throughout the show and her co-star Jun-Young helped her to learn the dance steps.

5. Ji So underwent a big transformation with her role as Ma Ha. The actor confessed that becoming an idol was her dream when she was young.

6. Ji So shared that she was optimistic like her on-screen character Ma Ha, but she modestly added that she was less similar in terms of visuals with the character from the webtoon.

7. The actor also worked as a child actor. However, she recently gained worldwide recognition because of her role in Parasite. She won the Screen Actors Guild Awards for the movie Gisaengchung (translated to Parasite in English) in 2020.

8. Ji So is also appeared in other Korean films like The Tiger: An Old Hunter's Tale and Daughter. Besides movies, she was also part of Korean television series like May Queen, W, Splendid Politics and Empress Ki.

9. She is just 21 and has appeared in over eleven movies and 3 television series along with appearances in variety shows like Olala School and The Unlimited Show.

10. Ji So got nominated for the 31st MBC Drama Awards in the category of Best Young Actress in 2012 for her part in May Queen. She received a nomination for the same category in the 27th KBS Drama Awards in 2013 for her role in The Blade and Petal and Samsaengi, as per glamourfame.com.

Feature Image Credit: Soompi.com