| STAGE NAME | Jihyo |
|---|---|
| REAL NAME | Park Jihyo |
| KOREAN | 지효 |
| BIRTHDAY | 1 February 1997 |
| HEIGHT | 162 cm (5’4″) |
| BLOOD TYPE | O |
| MBTI TYPE | ESFP |
| ZODIAC SIGN | Aquarius ♒ |
| CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN | Ox |
| DEBUT | 20 October 2015 (Twice) 18 August 2023 (Solo) |
|---|---|
| AGENCY | JYP Entertainment |
| TRAINEE PERIOD | 10 years |
| POSITION | Leader, Main Vocalist |
| NATIONALITY | 🇰🇷 Korean |
|---|---|
| BIRTHPLACE | 🇰🇷 Guri, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea |
| HOMETOWN | 🇰🇷 Guri, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea |
| SIBLINGS | Two younger sisters |
| LANGUAGES | Korean, Japanese |
- BIOGRAPHY
- TWICE
- SOLO CAREER
- DISCOGRAPHY
- FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY
- ILLUSTRATION
- FUN FACTS
- OUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE
- MORE TWICE PROFILES
BIOGRAPHY
Jihyo was born on 1 February 1997 in Guri, Gyeonggi, South Korea, under her birth name Park Ji-soo. At the age of 18, she officially changed her first name to Ji-hyo. She was discovered by SM Entertainment after finishing second in a child star competition on Junior Naver. After a year of training at SM Entertainment, the staff member who had discovered her moved to JYP Entertainment, and Jihyo followed her. On 15 July 2005, she officially joined JYP Entertainment and trained there for over 10 years.
Before her debut, Jihyo was best known as the face of Innisfree's teen line “TN”, alongside the boy band Boyfriend and later with her future bandmate Nayeon. During her trainee years, she worked with well-known K-pop idols such as Sunmi and Hyerim of the Wonder Girls, Bae Suzy, Jo Kwon, and Nichkhun. In 2014, Jihyo was set to debut in a six-member girl group called 6Mix alongside Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Sana, but the project was scrapped after two members left JYP Entertainment.
In 2015, Jihyo took part in the reality TV show Sixteen, a competition to select the founding members of Twice. As one of the nine successful contestants, she became a member of the newly formed girl group Twice and was unanimously voted group leader by her bandmates.
TWICE
TWICE is a popular South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. They officially debuted on 20 October 2015 with their first mini album “The Story Begins”. The group consists of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu.
The long-established group has celebrated many successes in recent years. We've summarised the most important ones for you:
- Within five months of release, the music video for the title track "Like OOH-AHH" had been watched 50 million times. It was the most-viewed debut music video by a K-pop group. The video later even surpassed the 100 million mark.
- In 2016, the song "Cheer Up" became a massive hit and won "Song of the Year" at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).
- In 2017, TWICE successfully debuted in Japan with the single "One More Time", which broke the record for the best-selling single by a K-pop girl group in Japan.
- In 2018, they held their first arena concert in Japan and released the Japanese album "BDZ", which reached number 1 on the Oricon Charts.
- In 2019, TWICE launched their world tour "TWICELIGHTS", which was a huge success and took them to cities all around the world.
- With the release of the singles "More & More" and "I CAN'T STOP ME", they achieved high chart rankings and cemented TWICE's status as a leading K-pop group.
- In 2021, they released their first English-language single "The Feels", which performed well on various international charts.
- In 2022, TWICE reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 with the album "Formula of Love: O+T=<3", their highest chart entry in the US.
- In 2023, TWICE released their twelfth mini album "Ready to Be" and announced their fifth world tour.
Find out more about Twice here!
Jihyo is the leader of Twice.
In November 2018 and May 2019, Jihyo ranked second and third, respectively, in the monthly “Individual Girl Group Members Brand Power Ranking” by the Korean Business Research Institute.
On 5 August 2019, the local news outlet Dispatch reported that she was dating solo artist Kang Daniel. Both agencies confirmed the relationship that same day, explaining that the two had been introduced by Seulong of 2AM.
On 9 November 2020, JYP Entertainment announced that the couple had split up due to their busy schedules.
On 25 March 2024, it was reported that Jihyo and former skeleton athlete Yun Sung-bin had been dating for a year, having met through a mutual acquaintance. However, this was never confirmed.
SOLO CAREER
On 5 June 2023, TWICE's social media channels released teasers announcing Jihyo's solo debut, planned for August 2023. On 26 June, it was officially confirmed that Jihyo would release her first mini album “Zone” on 18 August, with "Killin' Me Good" as the title track. This made her the second member of TWICE, after Nayeon, to have a solo debut.
Zone sold over half a million copies in its first week. On 25 August, Jihyo earned her first music show win as a solo artist on Music Bank on KBS2.
She was also nominated at the 2023 MAMA Awards in the categories “Best Dance Performance (Female Solo)” and “Best Female Artist”.
DISCOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY/ VIDEOGRAPHY
| YEAR | TITLE | ROLE |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | “Sixteen” (Survival Show) | Contestant |
| 2015 | Two Yoo Project - Sugar Man | Guest |
| 2016 | J.Y. Park - "Fire" (Music Video) | |
| 2023 | Home Alone (TV Show) | Guest |
ILLUSTRATION
In 2023, Jihyo was named an ambassador and muse for several renowned brands: in February, she represented the skincare brand Milk Touch. In June, she became a muse for the outdoor brand “Outdoor Research” as well as for “Dr+LABNOSH”, a health and nutrition brand. She also collaborated that same year with the global sports brand “Fila”.
FUN FACTS
- Jihyo's favourite colour is red.
- She wore braces.
- In high school, Jiwoo of KARD was one of Jihyo's classmates.
- Among the TWICE members, Jihyo spends the most time at the gym.
- Jihyo's favourite pastime is playing “League of Legends”.
- Jihyo has a pineapple allergy. When she eats pineapple, her throat itches.
- Jihyo is ambidextrous.
- Jihyo revealed that she no longer wants to perform the Twice song “What Is Love?” because she can no longer pull off the cute expressions.
OUR FAVOURITE PERFORMANCE
Jihyo has drawn major attention through her central role as the leader and main vocalist of TWICE. She is widely regarded as a “powerhouse vocalist” and has impressed critics and fans alike with her remarkable vocal range and emotional delivery. As the group's leader, Jihyo has been praised for her ability to guide and support her members, fostering unity and strength within the group. Her consistent dedication to refining her vocal skills and maintaining a positive, encouraging presence both on and off stage further cements her position as an outstanding idol in the K-pop industry.
MORE TWICE PROFILES
Sources: Twice & Jihyo's social media channels, YouTube, Hanteo, kmca, TC Candler's “100 Most Beautiful Faces” List, Sixteen
