Cho Yeo-jeong (조여정; born February 10, 1981) is a renowned South Korean actress who gained international acclaim for her role as the wealthy yet naive Park Yeon-kyo in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite (2019). The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and was the first non-English language film to win that top honor.
Born in Seoul, Cho began her career as a model, debuting at age 16 on the cover of CeCi magazine in 1997. She transitioned into acting in 1999, appearing in dramas, music videos, and commercials. However, she struggled with typecasting and limited roles early on. Her breakthrough came with the 2010 erotic period film The Servant, where her bold portrayal of a lower-class woman in Joseon society earned her critical acclaim and marked a major turning point in her career.
She further established her versatility with films such as The Concubine (2012) and Obsessed (2014), and continued to impress in television dramas including I Need Romance (2011), Lovers of Haeundae (2012), Divorce Lawyer in Love (2015), Woman of 9.9 Billion (2019–2020), and Cheat on Me If You Can (2020–2021). Known for balancing daring roles with emotional depth, Cho Yeo-jeong has become one of South Korea’s most respected and resilient actresses.
