Park Ji-yeon (Park Ji-yeon)

Also known as: Jiyeon, Park Ji Yun

Date of birth: 7 June 1993 (33 years old)

Country: South Korean

Park Ji Yeon is a South Korean singer, dancer, actress, model, and member of T-ARA (티아라). She graduated from Lila Art High School. In 2007, when she was 15 years old, she was featured in several pictorials and advertisements for clothing company Smart alongside SHINEE. Then, she collaborated with DAVICHI and SEEYA on the digital single "Women's Generation", which was released in May 2009 and also appeared in two music videos of SG WANNABE singles. She then auditioned to become part of MBK Entertainment (MBK엔터테인먼트; previously known as Core Content Media), joining in 2008. She made her debut in July 2009 as T-ARA's main dancer, sub-vocalist, visual, center, and face of the group with the digital single "Lies". They made their TV debut on the MBC talk show "Radio Star", which was highly unusual for an idol group as they would normally debut in a music show. They subsequently gained nationwide recognition after releasing the single "Roly-Poly" in 2011, which went on to become the Gaon chart's best-selling single of the year. As part of the group's rotational leadership, she is the only member to have held that position. However, the group's reputation took a hit in July 2012 when Ryu Hwa Young only performed one song during a concert in Japan while sustaining an alleged leg injury. Member Hyo Min and Ryu's twin sister engaged in a series of messages, leading to speculation of an internal conflict, sparking a major controversy and backlash against the members who were seen as bullies. This incident was finally resolved in February 2017 when staff members presented evidence that put Ryu and her sister as the actual bullies of Lee Ah Reum and exaggerated the leg injury she suffered in Japan. Ryu later admitted that all the evidence was real, and she deleted her social media accounts. She then became part of the group's first sub-unit, T-ARA N4 (티아라 N4), and debuted in April 2013 with the EP, "Jeon Won Diary". They never released any new material after that. While the group had some breaks due to the alleged bullying incident, she returned and made her debut as a solo artist in May 2014 with the mini-album "Never Ever". She also took on more acting roles, as she and Ham Eun Jung were originally trained to become actresses. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in June 2017 after only 4 members remained under contract. She left MBK at the end of the year and is currently without representation, but she has continued her acting career. After a four-year hiatus, T-ARA reunited as a 4-member group and released their first independent single album, "Re:T-ara", in 2021. They have occasionally reunited for a special appearance on a variety show or for an event abroad. She married baseball player Hwang Jae Gyun in December 2022, but the couple divorced in October 2024.