Ok Ja-yeon

Ok was born and raised in Suncheon^[2] by school teacher parents.^[3][4]

Ok described herself as not studious in her younger years, but due to the influence of her friend in middle school, she started taking her studies seriously. She then excelled in academics all throughout middle school and high school.^[4][5] She was also a member of the theater club in middle school, but had no desire of becoming an actress during that time.^[6][7]

Ok initially wanted to become a lawyer and planned to study law for her undergraduate degree, but her grades did not meet the admission requirement of Seoul National University for the said degree.^[3] Due to her interest in the arts, she then decided to major in aesthetics and planned to pursue law later.^[2][3][5]

In her third year of university, Ok watched the play Snow In March and was moved by the performance of actor Jang Minho. She cited it as the reason why her love for theater and acting grew and her dream of becoming an actress was born.^[2][6][8]

Ok decided to change careers and pursued acting at 25 years old (in Korean age).^[3] She made her acting debut in the theater play Guest in 2012.^[2][6][7]

For almost 10 years, Ok only played minor and supporting roles in various stage plays, films, and TV dramas. In 2021, she landed her first main role in the TV series Mine which became a hit and Ok gained recognition for her villain character.^[2][5] For her performance, she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards.^[9][10]

Ok received her first acting award at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival after being named Best Actress for her work in the independent film The Archeology of Love.^[11][12]

In April 2023, Ok was named as a judge at the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival for the International Competition category.^[13]

In 2025, Ok acted in the Korean premiere of the British play The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble. Ok was triple cast as the character Connie Hall, starring alongside Park Jeong-bok and Kim Ju-yeon. The play is a story about "love and sorrow" centered on four characters: Connie Hall and Tristan Frey, who are participating in a clinical trial for an antidepressant, and the two doctors supervising the test, Dr. Lorna James and Dr. Toby Seeley. The production was directed by Min Sae-rom, with Park Ji-sun as the screenwriter and Bae Yu-ri as the motion director. The show ran from June 10 to August 31 at the Nol Seo-kyung Square Scone Theater 2.^[14]

In March 2026, it was announced that Ok will be starring in the upcoming South Korean television adaption of the American spy drama television series The Americans alongside Lee Byung-hun and Han Ji-min under the working title The Koreans (코리언즈), that is slated to be released on Disney+ in 2027. Also in April 2026, Ok will be starring in the upcoming SBS romantic comedy workplace television series titled Sold Out on You.