Jo Yuri participated in the girl group survival audition “Produce 48” hosted by Mnet in 2018 and was ultimately selected, becoming the main vocalist of the girl group IZ*ONE until April 2021. In October 2021, she debuted as a solo singer.
Now, let’s take a closer look at her as she appears in a new light through her appearance in “Squid Game” Season 2.
Profile
Name: Jo Yuri
Date of Birth: October 22, 2001 / Busan Metropolitan City
Ancestral Seat: Changnyeong Jo Clan
Height: 162cm
Weight: 42-43kg
Blood Type: AB
Family: Parents, Younger Sister Jo Yoon-hee
Pets: Dog Gamja, Cat YonaEducation
Busan Munhyun Elementary School (Graduated)
Haeyeon Middle School (Graduated)
Munhyun Girls’ High School (Withdrawn)Agency: Wake One Entertainment
Label: CJ ENM
Group Career: IZ*ONE (October 29, 2018 – April 29, 2021)Debut
October 29, 2018: IZONE 1st Mini Album “COLORIZ”
October 7, 2021: 1st Single Album “GLASSY”
July 22, 2022: Playlist Original Web Drama “Mimicus”MBTI: ISTP
Story
Jo Yuri grew up in Busan from a young age and spent 7 years studying piano as an ordinary student, nurturing dreams of becoming a pianist. However, due to family difficulties, she changed her goal to become a singer at the age of 14. She practiced singing and dancing alone and even challenged the SM Global Audition, but did not pass the JYP 13th Open Recruitment.
In 2017, she appeared on the survival audition show “Idol School” but finished in 15th place. However, in August 2018, she participated in the girl group survival audition “Produce 48” and debuted as a member of the girl group IZ*ONE.
Jo Yuri’s Works and Personality
In 2022, Jo Yuri made her debut as an actress, starring in “Mimicus.” She also made a special appearance in “The Uncanny Counter 2” and is currently appearing in the Netflix drama “Squid Game Season 2.”
Despite her cute appearance, she has a straightforward and down-to-earth personality typical of a woman from Busan. She is emotionally expressive and tends to cry a lot while watching movies, but she keeps her own struggles and sadness to herself.
Jo Yuri is known to enjoy drinking soju with beer, with a capacity of about one and a half bottles.
Her round and cute appearance combined with her excellent physique have earned her much love from fans, and she is nicknamed “Hamjjiru” for resembling a hamster.
During her time in IZ*ONE, according to testimonies from the members at the time, Jo Yuri was considered the member with the richest emotions, often shedding tears while watching movies. On the contrary, she has a strict and reserved personality, keeping her own difficulties and sadness to herself. During the Produce 48 era, she would suppress her tears even when others would cry or let off steam, expressing deep sadness quietly. She also felt the pressure of being the main vocalist before debut, with her perfectionist nature leading her to silently endure stress. This combination of innocence and maturity, typical of a teenager, seems to be coexisting within her, making fans even more eager to support her.
Her favorite foods include spicy chicken feet, seasoned chicken, and pork rice soup. She dislikes coffee because it makes her heart beat fast, so when she goes to cafes, she opts for chocolate instead of coffee. She also struggles with eating spicy food, so she washes chicken feet before eating them (!) and admitted on a radio show that she washes tteokbokki before eating it. However, during a V LIVE broadcast on March 24th, she mentioned that she is now trying not to wash her food before eating. In an interview with TongTong Culture on October 23rd, she mentioned that she now eats spicy fire chicken noodles. It appears she has become accustomed to spicy food.
During an Instagram Live on October 11, 2017, she mentioned that she loves the works of Keigo Higashino so much that she searches for and reads only his novels. It’s worth noting that this was before the broadcast of Produce 48, when she was active on Instagram. During this Instagram Live, she also mentioned that she has never been abroad.
Within just nine months of being a trainee, her powerful vocal skills and husky voice were recognized during Produce 48. Her vocal abilities were also validated during her time with IZ*ONE, where she held the position of main vocalist. Particularly, her exceptional singing talent was acknowledged by many people through her performance on “King of Mask Singer,” where she competed as “Jangma.”
Due to the nature of her agency, Stone Music Entertainment, she received mandatory Japanese language education, making her one of the Japanese language proficient members along with Kim Minjoo, Ahn Yujin, and Jang Wonyoung within the team. This can be observed from scenes where she conversed with Yamada Noe during the second round of the competition. Her confident use of Busan’s distinctive Japanese was frequently highlighted in IZ*ONE CHU.
In April 2022, Jo Yuri took on an acting challenge with a web drama titled “Mimicus.” According to official statements, filming for the drama began in April with an expected broadcast in the summer. She plays the role of Oroshi, the center and youngest member of the girl group ICE within the drama. Oroshi is loved for her unique friendliness and cheerful personality but faces cold treatment from other members of the group. Returning to school after her idol activities, Oroshi strives to find her identity through school life. Despite this being her first drama role, she displayed stable acting skills and received positive feedback.
She mentioned that she sleeps well in noisy environments, unlike others.
Finally, we look forward to supporting Jo Yuri as she continues to shine and excel in various fields in the future!