In the episode aired on July 12 of the variety show " Point of Omniscient Interfere" ( issue 335) on MBC, actress Jo Yuri appeared as a special guest.
The singer and actress born in 2001 shared about her global popularity, as well as the surprising rumors after the success of the series Squid Game.
Recently, Jo Yuri became a face of interest when participating in seasons 2 and 3 of the hit series Squid Game on Netflix. host Jun Hyun Moo told Jo Yuri: "This must be one of the most unique experiences in life. Squid Game has been ranked first in 93 countries worldwide. How did everyone react?"
The actress shared: "The number of followers on my Instagram has skyrocketed. Before filming, I had about 1.6 million followers, and now that number has increased to about 7.61 million.
Previously, most of the comments were from Korean fans, but now I see a lot of comments from international fans.
Comedian Yang Se Hyung later recalled a rumor circulating about Jo Yuri's salary: "I heard your salary for appearing here is huge."
Jo Yuri laughed back, "There was an article saying I received 4.2 billion won (about 3 million USD) while playing Squid Game. The article only mentioned my name.
However, Jo Yuri firmly denied the number, saying, Its completely untrue information. The actual figure is much lower".
Rumors about Jo Yuri's "huge" salary began to spread in January, after she appeared in "Squid Game 2" which aired in December 2024. Jo Yuri denied the rumor in an interview, and this was the first time the actress directly denied it on television.
Although Jo Yuri said that her salary was much lower than 3 million USD and did not disclose the specific figure, the audience was curious about the real salary that the actress received.
In the 2 parts of Squid Game (2 and 3), Jo Yuri takes on the role of the main character. Meanwhile, it is reported that the main actor Lee Jung Jae was paid $1 million for each episode of Squid Game in the last 2 parts.
Jo Yuri plays Jun Hee (222 player), an orphan since she was a child, who had a relationship with player 333 Myung Gi (played by Im Si Wan) - a YouTuber who was left penniless for investing in virtual currency.
In part 3, the scene where Jun Hee gave birth while participating in a game became a turning point that added to the drama of the plot. This child born into difficult circumstances exposed Myung Gi's fake, evil face and further enhanced the integrity of Gi Hun (played by Lee Jung Jae).
In the end, Gi Hun sacrificed himself so that the child could survive and become a winner.
"Squid Game 3" set a record as the first film to top 1 in all countries with a Netflix platform globally.
The success of "Squid Game" is a launching pad for many new faces, including Jo Yuri.
Jo Yuri is a former member of Kpop girl group IZ*ONE (disbanded in 2021). Previously, she had only participated in an online drama and guest-starred in a Tving drama.
