Jeon Yeo-been

Jeon Yeo-been (; born Jeon Bo-young on July 26, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She rose to prominence with her performance in the independent film After My Death, for which she received the Actress of the Year Award at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival and the Independent Star Award at the 2017 Seoul Independent Film Festival. Her subsequent work includes the television series Vincenzo (2021), A Time Called You (2023), Our Movie (2025), and Ms. Incognito (2025), the film Night in Paradise (2021), and the movie Dark Nuns(2025).

Early life and education Jeon graduated from a non-standardized high school in Gangneung. She initially aspired to a career as medical doctor during her school years. After failing to gain admission to her intended university, she shifted her focus to filmmaking. This decision to pursue this new path was influenced by watching the film Dead Poets Society.

For a month, Jeon persuaded her family to allow her to attend an acting academy in Seoul. She subsequently enrolled in Dongduk Women's University's Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment. In 2009, while diligently studying at the university, she decided to pursue acting. She participated in her college musical, Lunatic, portraying a grandmother with dementia. Jeon considers this specific role to be her debut acting work and attributes significant personal importance to the experience.

Career

Beginning and breakthrough roles After graduation, Jeon worked as a staff member for musicals and theatrical productions in Daehangno, taking on roles such as assistant director and ticket agent to learn about theater from the outside. Despite appearing steadily in independent films, she remained largely unknown. While contemplating her future as an actress, she received a fortuitous opportunity when actress Moon So-ri saw her in a trailer for the Seoul International Women's Film Festival and contacted her to appear in the short film she directed, The Running Actress.

Following this, her older brother, a photographer who actively supported her career, took a profile picture of her and posted it on social media. A film executive happened to see the photo and offered Jeon an audition, which led to her commercial film debut in the period drama The Treacherous.

In 2015, seeking representation, she visited Director Jang Jin's production company, "Film Issuda," and boldly proposed, "If you need an actress, think of me." She had already worked on the staff of one of Jang Jin's plays for about six months, making the agency's staff familiar with her. Jeon's confident approach led left a lasting impression on Jang Jin, and Jeon was cast in his TV film The Sea We Wished For (2015). This was followed by appearances in Kim Soo-hyun's independent film Beaten Black and Blue (2016) and independent films Write or Dance (2017), which premiered at Seoul Independent Film Festival on December 2016.

In the autumn of 2016, Jeon auditioned for and successfully landed a title character in Director Kim Ui-seok's film After My Death. The filming took place in the winter of the same year. Jeon portrayed Young-hee, who becomes the prime suspect in the presumed suicide of her missing friend, Kyung-min (Jeon So-nee). Facing accusations and relentless bullying without support, Young-hee attempts to find the truth but ultimately chooses to commit suicide herself.

The year 2017 marked a significant turning point in Jeon's career. Having previously planned to retire from acting if she did not achieve success by the age of 29, she saw After My Death as her last chance, which motivated her to dedicate herself intensely to the project. Moreover, her prior short film, The Best Director, was re-released as Act 3 of the anthology feature The Running Actress, a collection of three shorts all directed by Moon So-ri, further raising her industry profile after its September 13, 2017, release.

Jeon's career continued to ascend in 2018. She was featured in a music video for ballad singer Yoon Jong-shin, and on July 2, she signed an exclusive contract with J.Wide Company. Following the general theatrical release of After My Death on September 13, 2018, Jeon secured more accolades, including the Best New Actress Award at the 56th Grand Bell Awards.

In 2020, Jeon was cast in Park Hoon-jung's film Night in Paradise. The film premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2020, where it was screened in the "Out of Competition" category. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film bypassed a theatrical release and instead debuted on Netflix on April 9, 2021. Jeon portrayed Kim Jae-yoon, a terminally ill woman living in Jeju who is drawn into conflict after encountering Tae-goo (portrayed by Uhm Tae-goo), a man pursued by Director Ma (portrayed by Cha Seung-won) of the Bukseong gang.

In August 2020, Jeon officially confirmed her appearance in mini-series Vincenzo, a project that teamed-up director Kim Hee-won and screenwriter Park Jae-beom. This marked Jeon's second collaboration Ok Taec-yeon, with whom she had previously worked on Save Me (2017). Starring Song Joong-ki as italian mafia of Korean-descent Vincenzo, the series aired on tvN every Saturday and Sunday from February 20 to May 2, 2021. It was also made available for streaming on Netflix. Jeon portrayed Hong Cha-young, a fiercely intelligent lawyer. Seon Hyeon-seon from Top Class noted that Hong Cha-young's intensity was conveyed through her "devil's tongue" and "witch's tenacity."

On March 15, 2021, Jeon was cast in the Netflix original series Glitch, directed by Roh Deok. She portrayed Hong Ji-hyo, a woman searching for her missing boyfriend, Lee Si-kook (Lee Dong-hwi). As she searches, she attempts to uncover the truth behind a mysterious secret with the help of a community of UFO watchers member Heo Bo-ra (Nana). The series was released on Netflix on October 7, 2022.

On February 11, 2022, it was confirmed that Jeon was cast in Kim Jee-woon's film Cobweb.The film premiered in the non-competitive section at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released theatrically on September 27, 2023, coinciding with Korean Chuseok holidays. She portrayed Shin Mi-do, the head of finance at a film production company. For her performance, Jeon received the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the 59th Grand Bell Awards.

Her next work was A Time Called You, a time-travel mystery romance television series written by Choi Hyo-bi and directed by Kim Jin-won, co-starring Ahn Hyo-seop, and Kang Hoon. The series is based on the Taiwanese television series Someday or One Day''. It was released on Netflix on September 8, 2023. Jeon played two roles: Han Jun-hee, the girlfriend of the deceased Yeon-jun who mourns his death, and Kwon Min-ju, the girl whose body Han Jun-hee ends up in after traveling back in time.

Filmography Film +Acting credit in feature film(s) Year Title Role Notes 2015 The Treacherous Woman with queen's fate Bit part Beaten Black and Blue Tiffany 2017 Write or Dance Yeo Been Merry Christmas Mr. Mo Ja-yeong 2018 Illang: The Wolf Brigade Cosmetics advertising model Cameo After My Death Young-hee 2019 Forbidden Dream Sa-im 2020 Secret Zoo Kim Hae-kyung Night in Paradise Jae-yeon 2023 Cobweb Shin Mi-do 2024 Harbin Gong Boo-in 2025 Dark Nuns Sister Michaela

Short film +Acting credit in short film(s) Year Title Role Notes 2012 Bulchuibulgui 2014 Living as a Trainee in Korea The Work Waiting for You 2015 The Sea I Wish For Jong-soon UHD Film MAHNG Yeo-been Humanity! I love you, don't cry! 2016 The Purpose of Art Nu-ri Woo-joo 2017 The Running ActressAct 3 – The Best Director Lee Seo-yeong Filmed in 2015 Distance to Her Yeo-been Ride Together Mysterious woman

Television series Year Title Role Notes 2017 Save Me Hong So-rin 2019 Be Melodramatic Lee Eun-jung 2021 Vincenzo Hong Cha-young 2022 Glitch Hong Ji-hyo 2025 Our Movie Lee Da-eum Ms. Incognito Kim Young-ran / Bu Se-mi

Web series Year Title Role Notes 2017 Private But Good Day 2 Jo-hee Episode 3

Music videos + Year Song title Artist 2015 "Pride and Prejudice" Zico "Home" Brown Eyed Soul"Boombox"45RPM 2016 "Solji" "Summer cold"

Accolades Awards and nominations +Awards and nominations received by Jeon Award Year Category Nominee / Work Result APAN Star Awards 2022 Best Couple Jeon Yeo-been Vincenzo Asia Artist Awards 2021 Best Artist Award – Actress Jeon Yeo-been Female Actress Popularity Award Baeksang Arts Awards 2019 Best New Actress – Film After My Death 2020 Best New Actress – Television Be Melodramatic 2025 Best Supporting Actress – Film Dark Nuns Blue Dragon Film Awards 2018 Best New Actress After My Death 2021 Best Actress Night in Paradise Popular Star Award 2023 Best Supporting Actress Cobweb 2025 Dark Nuns Blue Dragon Series Awards 2023 Best Actress Glitch Buil Film Awards 2019 Best New Actress After My Death 2021 Best Actress Night in Paradise 2025 Best Supporting Actress Dark Nuns Busan Film Critics Awards 2018 Best New Actress After My Death CGV Art House Special Awards 2019 Special Award of the Year Chunsa Film Art Awards Best New Actress Cine21 Film Awards 2018 Best New Actress After My Death Director's Cut Awards 2023 Best Actress in Television Glitch 2024 Best Actress in Film Cobweb Film Award of the Year 2019 Discovery of the Year After My Death Golden Cinematography Awards 2025 Best Actress Award Dark Nuns Grand Bell Awards 2020 Best New Actress After My Death 2023 Best Supporting Actress Cobweb Kinolights Awards 2021 Actress of the Year (Domestic) Night in Paradise and Vincenzo Korea Best Star Awards 2018 Best New Actress After My Death Marie Claire Film Festival 2018 Best Rookie Award After My Death OBS Hot Icon Awards 2021 OBS 2021 Hot Icon Trend Jeon Yeo-been SBS Drama Awards 2025 Excellence Award, Actress in a Seasonal Drama Our Movie Seoul Independent Film Festival 2017 Independent Star Award After My Death Wildflower Film Awards 2019 Best Actress After My Death 2nd D Awards 2026 D Awards Impact Ms. Incognito

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Cine21 2016 Rising Stars 2024"Korean Film NEXT 50" – Actors