"I think it’s great that a group of friends are pursuing a single dream and creating amazing memories in the process." —Yuri
Kwon Yu-ri (born December 5, 1989), known professionally as Yuri, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of the K-pop girl-group, Girls' Generation and its second sub-unit, Oh!GG. As an actress, Yuri is best known for her roles in Fashion King and No Breathing.
Early life and career beginnings
Yuri was born in Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea on December 5, 1989. Her family consists of her parents and older brother named Kwon Hyuk-jun.
Yuri auditioned at the S.M. Entertainment Casting System and joined the company in 2001 after finishing in second place in the 2001 S.M. Youth Best Dancer Contest. She then underwent training for 5 years and 11 months before her debut in Girls' Generation.
Career
Yuri began her career as a member of K-pop girl group, Girls' Generation which debuted on August 5, 2007, she is a supporting vocalist, main dancer and lead rapper in the group.
She has had acting roles in The King's Boyfriend, Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, Unstoppable Marriage and Kill Me, Heal Me. Yuri also had a lead role in the drama, Neighbourhood Hero. In 2012, she played the main female protagonist, Choi Anna, in the Korean drama, Fashion King, and received the New Star Award for this role as well as several other awards.
In 2013, she starred as Jung Eun in the movie, No Breathing, and won the nomination for "Most Popular Female Actress (film)" at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Yuri sang the song "Must", a duet with fellow Girls' Generation member, Sooyoung. The song was used for the soundtrack of the television series, Working Mom. Yuri also featured on TVXQ's song, "Like a Soap", from their album, Catch Me. She also sang two solo songs, "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Bling Star" for the film, No Breathing.
In August 2016, SM Station released a song named "Secret", that was sung by Yuri and Seohyun, to promote the haircare brand, Pantene.
From 2008 to 2015, Yuri appeared in many variety show, such as: Kko Kko Tours Single Single, Invincible Youth, Show! Music Core, Dancing 9, Animals, Star With Two Job, Dating Alone, MAPS, Our Neighbourhood Arts, Physical Education, and hosted a reality show about rally drivers, called The Rallyist in 2015.
Yuri returned to acting in January 2016, playing the female lead in the spy thriller, Local Hero. On February 25, OnStyle announced a new reality show about Yuri and her cousin, model Vivian Cha, titled YULVIV MY SISTER. However, the show was later postponed. She also joined the new cast of SBS' reality-documentary show Law of the Jungle for its new season which was filmed in New Caledonia. In July 2016, Yuri starred as the female lead alongside Kim Young-kwang in the web drama Gogh, The Starry Night. After premiering on Sohu, the series was broadcast on television by SBS.
In January 2017, she starred in the drama Innocent Defendant, playing a lawyer.
Yuri is set to star in the second season of the sitcom, The Sound of Your Heart as the female lead. In January 2018, she released a collaboration single titled "Always Find You" with DJ Raiden. She was also cast in MBC's upcoming drama Dae Jang Geum Is Watching, set to premiere in September.
In August 2018, S.M. Entertainment announced the formation of the Girls' Generation subunit Oh!GG, consisting of the remaining Girls' Generation members. The group is set to debut on September 5, 2018 with the single "Lil' Touch".
Yuri also appeared in the music video of Super Junior's cover of 'Ahora Te Puedes Marchar', which was released on March 1, 2019.
Personal life
Education
She graduated from NeungGok High School in 2008 and attended Chung-Ang university with fellow SNSD member, Sooyoung, where both of them on February 15, 2016 received their degree, in Theatre and Film as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and Honorary Ambassador of the School award at the graduation ceremony.
Dating
It was revealed in April 2015, that Yuri was dating baseballer, Oh Seung-hwan. The duo broke up in October of the same year, due to their individual busy schedules and long distance in their relationship.
Facts
- Yuri's nicknames are Black Pearl, Kkamyool, Kkamchi and Cola
- Her Greek star-sign is Saggitarius.
- Her blood type is AB.
- She is ethnic Korean.
- Her height is 167 cm
- Her weight is 46kg.
- She's a Catholic.
- Yuri owns one pet dog named Dooe
- Yuri's other dog Hani passed away
- Yuri can speak fluent Korean and Chinese, as well as basic English and Japanese.
- Her hobbies are dancing and playing the piano.
- She considers her specialties as dancing, acting, swimming and reading.
- Her favourite time of the day is a quiet morning.
- Her favourite foods are salad and fruits.
- Yuri used to imitate dinosaurs.
- She has a dorky and funny personality. Though she can be serious when she needs to be.
- Yuri is the most athletic member of Girls Generation.
- Her given name means 'glass' in Korean.
- As of 2021, only Hyoyeon and her still live in the Girl's Generation Dorm.
- She loves garlic, so much so that she would eat raw ones.
Discography
Mini Albums
- The First Scene (2018)
Digital Singles
- Always Find You (with Raiden) (2018)
Promotional Singless
Soundtrack appearances
| Year | Title | Song | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Working Mom OST | "Kkok" | with Sooyoung |
| 2013 | No Breathing OST | "Bling Star" | with Masyta Band |
| "Twinkle Twinkle" |
Featured Songs
| Year | Artist | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mighty Mouth | "Since 2004" | Family |
| 2012 | TVXQ | Like A Soap | Catch Me |
Filmography
Drama
| Year | Title | Channel | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | Unstoppable Marriage | KBS2 | Kwon Yu-ri | Supporting role |
| 2012 | Fashion King | SBS | Choi An-na | Lead role |
| 2015 | Kill Me, Heal Me | MBC | Ahn Yo-na | Cameo (Ep.20) |
| 2016 | Local Hero | OCN | Bae Jung-yeon | Lead Role |
| Gogh, The Starry Night | Sohu SBS |
Go-ho | ||
| 2017 | Innocent Defendant | SBS | Seo Eun-hye | |
| 2018 | Sound of Your Heart - Reboot | KBS2 | Aebong | |
| Dae Jang Geum Is Watching | MBC | Bok Soong-ah | ||
| 2021 | Bossam: Steal the Fate | MBN | Princess Soo-Kyung | |
| 2021 | Racket Boys | SBS | Im Seo-Hyun | Cameo |
| 2022 | Good Job | ENA | Don Se-Ra | Lead Role |
Television
| Year | Title | Channel | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Kko Kko Tours Single♥Single | KBS2 | Main Cast | Season 2 |
| 2009-2010 | Invincible Youth | with Sunny (Ep.1–32, 42) | ||
| 2009-2012 | Show! Music Core | MBC | Co-host | with Tiffany |
| 2013 | Dancing 9 | Mnet | Coach | with Hyoyeon |
| 2015 | Animals | MBC | Main cast | Ep.1-5 |
| MAPS | O'live | Host | ||
| Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education | KBS2 | Main cast | Swimming (Ep.113–124) | |
| The Rallyist | SBS | Host | ||
| 2016 | Law of the Jungle | Main cast | New Caledonia Episode | |
| 2018 | Kim Je-dong's Talk to You | JTBC | Co-host | Season 2 |
Movie
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Attack on the Pin-Up Boys | Ballerina | Cameo |
| 2013 | No Breathing | Jung-eun | Lead Role |
Music Videos
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Beautiful Life" | Dong Bang Shin Ki | |
| 2009 | "Jjarajajja" | Ju Hyun Mi & Seohyun | |
| "Dropping the Tears" | K.Will | ||
| 2014 | "Without You" | S |
Events
Tour
Endorsements
- Dongil Highvill Lake City (2006)
- Orion Chocopie (2006)
- Hot Choco Mite (2006)
- Biotherm (2010)
- Everland's Caribbean Bay (2010)
- Dior (2011)
- Amore Pacific (2012)
- Mamonde (2012-2014)
- Urban Decay Naked Palette (2015)
- Liz-K (2015-2016)
- BARREL (2016)
- Blackey Jeans (2016-2017)
Composition
- [2010.10.27] Hoot (#2 Mistake)
- [2013.01.1] Baby Maybe
- [2013.01.1] XYZ
Awards
- [2011] MBC Entertainment Awards: MC Special Award - Show! Music Core
- [2012] SBS Drama Awards: New Star Award - Fashion King
- [2013] 49th Baeksang Arts Award: Most Popular Actress (TV) - Fashion King
- [2014] 50th Baeksang Arts Award: Most Popular Actress (Film) - No Breathing
MV
Making Film
Gallery
| To view the Yuri gallery, click here. |
 | |
|---|---|
| Mini Albums | The First Scene |
| Remix EPs | Always Find You (Remixes) |
| Digital Singles | Always Find You (with Raiden) |
| Promotional Singles | Secret (with Seohyun) |
| OST | Kkok • No Breathing OST Part.1 • A Week Before Farewell OST Part.1 |
 | |
|---|---|
| Single Albums | Lil' Touch |
| Digital Singles | Melody |