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Youn Yuh-jung

Youn Yuh-jung

Actor · Born June 19, 1947 (79) · Gaeseong, Gyeonggi, Korea

Oscar winner · BAFTA Award winner · Screen Actors Guild Award winner · 3 other major award bodies

Youn Yuh-jung (Korean: 윤여정; pronounced [junjʌdʑʌŋ]; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress. Youn gained attention on Korean television in the late 1960s and rose to prominence with the film Woman of Fire (1971). She retired in the mid-1970s after marrying and immigrating to the United States. However, she returned to acting in the late 1980s following her divorce. Known as the "Godmother of Chungmu-ro," Youn's notable films include The Housemaid (2010), The Taste of Money (2012), The Bacchus Lady (2016) and Canola (2016), as well as a series of matriarch roles in television dramas such as Men of the Bath House (1995), Be Strong, Geum-soon! (2005), Daughters-in-Law (2007), My Husband Got a Family (2012) and Dear My Friends (2016). She gained international recognition for her role in Minari (2020), becoming the first Korean actress to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, an Independent Spirit Award, a British Academy Film Award, and an Academy Award, all for Best Supporting Actress. Description above from the Wikipedia article Youn Yuh-jung, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 19, 1947 (79)
From
Gaeseong, Gyeonggi, Korea
Works as
Actor
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 20% in 30 days

What are Youn Yuh-jung's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
40%
Self
22%
Society
18%
Power
8%
Morality
8%
Survival
5%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDisplacement2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 6 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 8 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 6

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

13 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 3 of 13 analyzed roles.

Ally
3 of 13
Mentor
3 of 13
Threshold guardian
3 of 13
Hero
2 of 13
Shadow
1 of 13
Herald
1 of 13
Show the 13 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
9
Melancholic
9
Tense
6
Contemplative
4
Joyful
4
Other
17

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Youn Yuh-jung's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Youn Yuh-jung's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

78 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Wedding Banquet(2025)

    as Ja-Young

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Dog Days(2024)

    as Min-seo

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Beef(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · as Chairwoman Park

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Pachinko(2022)

    Show 16 episodes · as Older Sunja

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Diabolical(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Sun-Hee (voice)

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Ms. Yoon

  • Be a Wicked Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Ms. Choi

  • Minari(2020)

    as Soonja

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Lucky Chan-sil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    as Grandmother

  • Beasts Clawing at Straws(2020)

    as Soon Ja

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Never Twice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 72 episodes · as Bok Mak-Rye

  • Keys to the Heart(2018)

    as In-sook

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Ladies Of The Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Soon-shim

  • The Bacchus Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as So-young

  • Canola(2016)

    as Gye-choon

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Dear My Friends(2016)

    Show 16 episodes · as Oh Choong-nam

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Right Now, Wrong Then(2015)

    as Kang Deoksoo

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Intimate Enemies(2015)

    as Yeo-jung

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Sense8(2015)

    Show 7 episodes · as Min-Jung

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Salut d'Amour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Geum-nim

  • Hill of Freedom(2014)

    as Innkeeper

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Wonderful Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 50 episodes · as Jang So-sim

  • The Queen's Classroom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 16 episodes · as Yong Hyun-ja

  • Boomerang Family(2013)

    as Mother

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • In Another Country(2012)

    as Park Sook

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Taste of Money(2012)

    as Baek Geum-ok

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The King 2 Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 20 episodes · as Bang Yang-seon (the Queen Mother)

  • My Husband Got a Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 58 episodes · as Uhm Chung-ae

  • 重複刪除 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 20 episodes · as 嚴清愛

  • List (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Mi-hye's Mother

  • Hindsight(2011)

    as Madame Kang

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Can You Hear My Heart?(2011)

    Show 30 episodes · as Hwang Soon-geum

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Home Sweet Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 16 episodes · as Sung Eun-sook

  • The Housemaid(2010)

    as Miss Cho

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Ha Ha Ha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Moonkyung's Mother

  • Golden Fish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 133 episodes · as Cho Yoon-hee

  • The Actresses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Co-Writer · as Youn Yuh-jung

  • Heading to the Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 16 episodes · as Ae Ja

  • The Road Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Bam Soon-jung

  • Worlds Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 16 episodes · as Oh Min-suk

  • Chunja's Happy Events (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 111 episodes · as Yang Boon-hee

  • A Tale of Legendary Libido(2008)

    as Old Woman

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Daughters-in-Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 52 episodes · as Seo Mi-soon

  • Hwang Jin Yi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Old Woman

  • The Person I Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 20 episodes · as Yoon Min-ja

  • The Old Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Hyun-woo's Mother

  • Maundy Thursday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Sister Monica

  • Pure in Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 167 episodes · as Myeong Hye

  • A Farewell to Sorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 60 episodes · as Lee Yeon-sim

  • Be Strong, Geum-soon! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Kim Jin-soon

  • The President's Last Bang(2005)

    as Mother

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Springtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Mother

  • Ireland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 16 episodes · as Shi Yeon's Mother

  • Pearl Necklace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 52 episodes · as Yoon Hae-Myung

  • A Good Lawyer's Wife(2003)

    as Hong Byeong-han

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Ruler of Your Own World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 20 episodes · as 정유순

  • Who's My Love? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 84 episodes · as In-ae

  • 사랑은 이런거야 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 172 episodes · as Lee Jung-Ja

  • Hotelier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 20 episodes · as Yoon Bong-sook

  • Hur Jun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 64 episodes · as Sung In-cheol's wife

  • Did We Really Love? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 44 episodes · as Choi Hye-ja

  • KAIST (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 14 episodes · as Professor

  • 내가 사는 이유 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as 손미나

  • Open Your Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Choi Soon Joo

  • 목욕탕집 남자들 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 87 episodes · as Roh Hye-young

  • 산다는 것은 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 50 episodes · Actor

  • How's Your Husband? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 70 episodes · Actor

  • 여자의 방 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • What is Love? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 66 episodes · as Han Sim-ae

  • MBC Bests Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as 정혜

  • 배반의 장미 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as 옥선

  • KBS Drama Awards (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 1 episode · as Host

  • Woman Requiem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Ms. Hong

  • The Day and Night of a Korean-American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Mrs. Hyun

  • Tto Sun Yi, a college girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Bok-nyeo

  • Insect Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Myung-ja

  • Woman of Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Myeong-ja

  • Haesol: The Soul Guide's Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Yoosun (voice)

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 78 titles, 77 of them dated from 1971 to 2025; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Keys to the Heart (2018)

$25M worldwide

Highest rated

Minari (2020)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Pachinko (2022)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
19712025

Peak 2015 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 6 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 2003Screen debut· A Good Lawyer's Wife
  • 2016First top-billed film· Canola
  • 2016Career best· Canola
  • 2021Oscar win· Minari
  • 2022Career best· Pachinko
  • 2022Independent Spirit Award win· Pachinko

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting78 of 78: 77 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score77thWriting1 of 78: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s4 · acting1980s2 · acting1990s12 · acting2000s23 · 23 acting · 1 crew2010s26 · acting2020s10 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 11% of 18 roles
0313

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and 2 other major awards from 8 major nominations, 2021–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
  2. 2023
    • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series
  3. 2021
    • Oscar, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Supporting Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Supporting Female

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Youn Yuh-jung's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Intimate Enemies (2015)

90th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Minari (2020)

Midcredits 96th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Youn Yuh-jung's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles25–70 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 46 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Youn Yuh-jung work with?

People who share at least 2 of Youn Yuh-jung's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Moon So-ri shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers