Models · 100
Ki Yong Jang
Life & Career
- Born
- 1992-08-07
- Nationality
- South Korean
Early life
Ki Yong Jang was born in Ulsan in 1992. He recalled being introverted and becoming interested in modeling after seeing a fashion-show video with music, lights, and a large audience. Moving to Seoul after his university entrance exam was a decision to test that possibility beyond his familiar environment.[1][2]
Entering the profession
Debuting in 2012, he developed experience in Seoul collections and magazines. Later recollections describe approaching agencies and enduring periods without work. By a 2014 Elle feature, he was seeking a broader range of images. Personal reserve and professional expressiveness were not the same thing; work revealed a different side of him.[3][5]
The breakthrough
Music-video work for IU introduced performance beyond fashion stills, followed by It’s Okay, That’s Love in 2014 and Seonam Girls High School Investigators. In 2015 he acknowledged his inexperience while wanting to develop as an actor. Physical expression learned through modeling provided a starting point, not a replacement for dramatic training.[3][4][5]
Defining work
His role as Jung Nam Gil in Go Back Couple in 2017 expanded his audience. My Mister and Come and Hug Me then introduced different emotional registers. Moving between a first-love image and rougher, more troubled characters made his acting trajectory increasingly distinct from the impressions established in modeling.[2][5]
Expanding the practice
Search: WWW and The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos in 2019 moved between romance and action. In film action, movement and coordination communicate events and tension rather than primarily displaying clothes. These assignments show both continuity with modeling and the distinct demands of screen performance.[5]
Latest documented work
The Atypical Family in 2024 marked a new phase, and he reflected on arriving in Seoul to model and on former colleagues. Dynamite Kiss, with Ahn Eun Jin, completed its broadcast in December 2025. These aired works provide firmer recent milestones than casting announcements, without treating later plans as accomplished work.[6][7]
A place in fashion history
His career traces the learning involved when a Korean fashion model moves into screen work: relocation, magazines and runways, music videos, and supporting and leading roles. Appearance alone does not explain the changing demands of those settings. Recording modeling and acting together preserves the starting point while making subsequent development visible.[2][3][4][6]
