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Cha Joo-young
Cha Joo-young (차주영), born June 5, 1990, is a South Korean actress raised in Seoul and educated at Utah State University (Business Administration). She broke through with The Glory (2022-2023), the Netflix revenge thriller in which she played Choi Hye-jeong, a flight attendant who attaches herself to a wealthy clique of bullies despite coming from a more modest background. The role required sustained commitment to a character driven by social anxiety and moral cowardice, and Cha delivered a performance that generated significant international discussion and elevated her from supporting player to marquee name.
Prior credits include Cheese in the Trap (2016), Jugglers (2017-2018), Wok of Love (2018), and The Spies Who Loved Me (2020) -- a solid decade of supporting and secondary lead work across multiple genres. In 2023, she expanded her range in romantic comedy with The Real Has Come.
In 2025, she stepped into the title role in The Queen Who Crowns (원경) on tvN and TVING, playing Queen Wongyeong, the politically formidable consort who helped Yi Bang-won become King Taejong of Joseon. The role marked her first lead credit in a major network production. In 2026, she appears in Climax on ENA and Disney+.
1 articles9 creditsDebut: January 1, 2016South Korean
Gallery
Filmography
2026
ClimaxK-Drama
Supporting
2025
The Queen Who CrownsK-Drama
Queen Wongyeong
2023
The Real Has Come!K-Drama
Supporting
2022
The GloryK-Drama
Park Yeon-jin
2021
Move to HeavenK-Drama
Supporting
2020
The Spies Who Loved MeK-Drama
Supporting
2018
Wok of LoveK-Drama
Supporting
2017
JugglersK-Drama
Supporting
2016
Cheese in the TrapK-Drama
Supporting
Fans Also Ask
What is Cha Joo-young best known for?
Cha Joo-young is best known for her role as Choi Hye-jeong in the Netflix revenge thriller The Glory (2022-2023), one of the bullies whose moral cowardice and social climbing drives key strands of the series. The performance elevated her from a decade of supporting work to international recognition.
What character did Cha Joo-young play in The Glory?
She played Choi Hye-jeong, a flight attendant from a modest background who attaches herself to a wealthy bullying clique. Her portrayal of a character caught between complicity and self-preservation was widely noted by critics and audiences across the show's global run.
Has Cha Joo-young led a major Korean drama?
Yes. In 2025 she led The Queen Who Crowns on tvN and TVING, playing Queen Wongyeong, the politically formidable consort who helped secure the Joseon throne for King Taejong. It was her first lead credit in a major network prestige production.
What is Cha Joo-young working on in 2026?
In 2026 she appears in Climax on ENA and Disney+. She is also part of the ensemble cast of the crime film Land alongside Yeom Jung-ah and Kim Hye-yoon, playing Chun-ja, a charismatic gambler tied to a casino town.
Where did Cha Joo-young study?
She studied Business Administration at Utah State University in the United States before returning to South Korea to pursue acting. She debuted in 2014 and spent nearly a decade in supporting roles before The Glory established her as a lead-level actress.
