Yuri was born inDeogyang District,Goyang,Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, on December 5, 1989.[1] She has one older brother, Kwon Hyuk-joon.[2][3] She auditioned at theSM Entertainment Casting System and joined the company in 2001 after finishing in second place in the 2001 SM Youth Best Dancer Contest. She then underwent training for 5 years and 11 months before her debut. She graduated from Neunggok High School in 2008.[4] She and Sooyoung were appointed asChung-Ang University new ambassadors on May 20, 2014.[5] On February 15, 2016, she graduated with a degree in Theater and Film as well as receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award as Honorary Ambassador of the school at the graduation ceremony.[6][7][8]
Yuri made her official debut as a member of the 9-member girl group, Girls' Generation in August 2007. Aside from her group's activities, she had a small role in a television segment,The King's Boyfriend, which was part of the documentarySuper Junior Show byS.M Entertainment's boy groupSuper Junior. She also made a cameo appearance as a ballerina in the film,Attack on the Pin-Up Boys, which also stars the members of Super Junior.[9]
Yuri performing in 2008
In 2008, Yuri had a recurring role in the 2008KBS2 sitcom,Unstoppable Marriage, where she played a high school student along with fellow memberSooyoung.[10] In June, she sang a duet called "Kkok (Must!)" with Sooyoung for the soundtrack ofSBS television series,Working Mom.[11] Yuri also became a cast member in the second season ofKko Kko Tours Single♥Single, a dating show between celebrities.[12]
In 2009, she was announced to be a host ofMBC music program,Show! Music Core with fellow memberTiffany.[13] In April,K.Will released the music video of "Dropping The Tears", featuring Yuri. She then performed a special stage with him for one of his performances of the song onShow! Music Core, playing the piano in the background.[14] At the end of the year, Yuri was cast alongsideSunny as one of the 7 girl group members, dubbed as 'G7' in the KBS2 reality variety show,Invincible Youth, for which she earned a nomination as Best Female MC at the 2010KBS Entertainment Awards.[15]
As Girls' Generation started preparing for their Japanese debut, their schedules became busier. Because of this, Yuri and Sunny leftInvincible Youth in June 2010.[16] For the same reason, she and Tiffany also had to leaveShow Music Core in the following month to focus on the group's activities.[17][18]
Yuri made her first contribution as a songwriter for Girls' Generation's third mini album,Hoot, where she wrote the lyrics for the track, "Mistake".[19] In September, she was featured in the track "Like A Soap," fromTVXQ's sixth Korean studio albumCatch Me.[20]
In October 2011, Tiffany and Yuri returned toShow! Music Core and hosted the show until January 2012 when Yuri left the show once again to focus on her drama debut.[21]
Yuri at VIP premiere of the filmNo Breathing in October 2013
In 2013, Girls' Generation released their fourth Korean studio album,I Got a Boy, which has two of its tracks' lyrics co-written by Yuri. "Baby Maybe" was co-written by Yuri and her fellow members Sooyoung andSeohyun, while "XYZ" was penned with Seohyun. In June, she appeared alongsideHyoyeon inMnet's global dance survival show,Dancing 9. The two coached the show's contestants as "K-pop dance masters" along with other notable stars who also appeared as dance masters in their specific fields.[25]
Yuri made her film debut in the same year, when she was cast as the female lead in South Korea's first swimming-themed film,No Breathing. In the coming-of-age film, Yuri portrayed the role of Jung-eun, a girl who dreams of becoming a musician who is also the love interest of the two male leads played byLee Jong-suk andSeo In-guk.[26][27] Aside from learning how to play the guitar for her character, Yuri also sang two songs for the film's soundtrack, "Bling Star" and "Twinkle Twinkle" which she performed in the film.[28]
In October 2014, she acted as a couple withLee Ji-hoon in the music video of "Without You" byS, which is the group's comeback single after 11 years.[29]
Yuri performing at the DMC Festival in September 2015.
In January 2015, Yuri joined MBC's variety show,Animals, becoming the only female member of the cast.[30][31] Yuri was also a guest on the programsStar With Two Job andDating Alone.[32][33] In May, Yuri was chosen to host Olive TV's travel programMAPS withChoi Kang-hee.[34] She also joined the cast ofOur Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education for its swimming special, showing off her swimming skills for the first time.[35] On July 23, it was revealed that Yuri was cast as a host in an SBS reality show about rally drivers calledThe Rallyist alongside announcer Bae Sung-jae.[36]
Yuri returned to acting in January 2016, playing the female lead in the OCN spy thriller,Local Hero.[37] She also joined the new cast of SBS' reality-documentary showLaw of the Jungle for its new season which was filmed inNew Caledonia. The first episode of the show aired on July 2, 2016.[38] In July 2016, Yuri starred as the female lead alongsideKim Young-kwang in the web dramaGogh, The Starry Night[39] In August 2016, Yuri released a single titled "Secret" with fellow memberSeohyun as part ofSM Station.[40]
In January 2017, she starred in the SBS' dramaInnocent Defendant and played a lawyer for which she was nominated for an Excellence Award in the Actress in a Monday-Tuesday Drama category at the 2017SBS Drama Awards.[41]
2018–present: Acting activities and solo debut withThe First Scene
In 2018, Yuri was cast in the second season of the sitcom,The Sound of Your Heart as the female lead, which premiered its first season on Netflix on October 29.[42][43] In January, she released a collaboration single titled "Always Find You" with DJ Raiden.[44] She was also cast in MBC's upcoming dramaDae Jang Geum Is Watching, which premiered in October.[45]
In August 2018, Yuri was announced to be part of Girls' Generation's second sub-group,Oh!GG, which consisted of the five members who remained under SM Entertainment; the group released their first single, "Lil' Touch", in September.[46]
Yuri released her six-track debut EP,The First Scene, on October 4, 2018, with the lead single "Into You".[47] The album debuted at number two on theGaon Album Chart and charted at number 10 onBillboard'sWorld Albums chart in its first week with only one day to garner points to enter it.[48][49] Yuri performed "Into You" on South Korea's music shows and her promotions for the album allowed her to top the Brand Reputation rankings for individual girl group members published by the Korean Corporate Reputation Research Institute for the month of October.[50]
Yuri at a fashion event in 2019
Starting in November, Yuri appeared in theChannel A variety show,Makgeolli on the Rooftop, during which she and other celebrities learned how to brewmakgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine.[51] In January 2019, she was cast in her first stage play,Grandpa Henry and Me ("L'Étudiante et Monsieur Henri"), which is a Korean version of the 2012 French play by Ivan Calbérac.[52]
On August 26, 2020, Yuri joinedBossam: Steal the Fate as the female lead.[53] The drama ended by recording an average viewership of 9.8% nationwide in its last episode, therefore becoming MBN's highest viewership rating for a drama in history.[54][55]
On May 1, 2021, Hyoyeon and Yuri make an appearance on tvN'sAmazing Saturday.[56]
On December 12, 2023 the production team of the movie "Mist" announced the cast lineup includingKwak Sun Young, Girls' Generation's Yuri,Lee Seol, Ki So You, and more.[59] On May 14, 2024 the movie was showcased at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Market. "Mist", produced byStudio Santa Clause Entertainment is in post-production gearing up for its release in 2024.[60]
On January 13, 2026 it was confirmed that Yuri will return to the theater after 6 years with the psychological thriller play "THE WASP".[61]
On March 21, 2023, it was revealed that Kwon had undergonevaricose vein surgery.[62] On July 26, 2025, Kwon completed her first class as a yoga instructor; a special session of "donation yoga" held to support stray dogs.[63]
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