Krystal Jung at 27: the star of F(x) and Netflix’s Sweet and Sour has come a long way since being snapped up by SM Entertainment at age six ... but what ‘controversial food’ does she love?

Oct 22 , 2021

Krystal Jung is F(x)‘s visual centre and vocal lead – and plenty more besides. Photo: @vousmevoyez/Instagram

F(x)’s Krystal and her sister Jessica Jung – herself an ex member of Girls’ Generation – were spotted by SM Entertainment as soon as they arrived in Korea

Since then, she’s become one of the country’s biggest stars, featuring in Shinhwa music videos, Lotte adverts with Han Ga-in – and buddying up to Park Shin-hye

On October 24, Krystal Jung, the visual centre and lead vocalist of K-pop girl band F(x), turns 27 –making her five years younger than idol sister Jessica Jung.

September marked the 12th anniversary of Jung’s debut, and she’s been on a tear ever since, with a number of hit dramas and films added to her repertoire recently too, including Netflix’s latest K-drama, Sweet and Sour. It seems safe to say that even at her young age, she’s achieved a lot. Here are five things you should know about Krystal Jung ahead of her big day.

She was in a Shinhwa music video back in 2000

Moving from the US as a child, Krystal and her sister were quickly spotted and snapped up by SM Entertainment Photo: @vousmevoyez/Instagram

Almost 10 years before her debut in F(x), she featured in a music video with Shinhwa – the legendary first generation K-pop boy group also produced by SM Entertainment. Only six years old at the time, it’s hard to recognise her face at first, but eagle-eyed fans will still be able to spot which one she is!

Aside from Shinhwa’s Wedding March music video, Krystal also featured in a handful of adverts when she was younger, including one for Lotte alongside Moon Embracing the Sun actress Han Ga-in. After her parents allowed her to join SM Entertainment, and after three and half years of hard work as a trainee, Jung was finally able to debut as a lead vocal with F(x).

She is fluent in English – and her educational background explains it

Krystal’s sister Jessica is an equally famous K-pop star, and ex-member of Girl’s Generation. Photo: @vousmevoyez/Instagram

If you’re a fan of either Krystal or her sister Jessica, you’ll have seen the pair chatting in English with each other on many occasions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, however, as she in fact holds dual nationality in both South Korea and the US. Krystal was born in California and lived in the state until the year 2000, when she first came to Korea and was directly scouted by SM Entertainment alongside her sister Jessica – at ages five and ten respectfully!