Bona

Biography

Kim Ji-yeon (Korean: 김지연; born August 19, 1995), known professionally as Bona (Korean: 보나), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of the South Korean girl group WJSN, and also its sub-unit WJSN The Black. She made her acting debut in the KBS2 drama Hit the Top (2017), and was cast as the female lead in the teen drama Girls' Generation 1979 (2018).
Bona gained recognition for her portrayal as world champion and gold medalist fencer Ko Yu-rim in the tvN television series Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022). Credited under her full name, she later starred in the television series Joseon Attorney (2023) and Pyramid Game (2024).

Early life and education

Bona was born on August 19, 1995, in Dalseo District, Daegu, South Korea and attended high school in the same city. Bona was a trainee under Cube Entertainment before joining Starship Entertainment in 2013.

2015–2020: Music career debut with WJSN as Bona and acting debut

She was revealed to be a member of WJSN and its Wonder Unit on December 15, 2015, and proceeded to debut with them on February 25, 2016, with their debut mini-album Would You Like? and the single "MoMoMo".

In 2017, she made her acting debut in the KBS2 drama Hit the Top, and was cast as the female lead in the teen drama Girls' Generation 1979. She made a cameo in Radio Romance in 2018, before her second lead role in Your House Helper. Bona was revealed to have joined the cast of Law of the Jungle in Northern Mariana Islands.
In 2020, Bona joined the KBS2 drama Homemade Love Story, playing as Lee Hae-deun. She earned the Best New Actress at the 2020 KBS Drama Awards for her acting in the series.

2022–present: Rise in popularity and credited in full name

In 2022, Bona rose to prominence for her role as a world champion and gold medalist fencer alongside Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk in the tvN drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One. The drama became one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.
After scheduling conflicts with the filming of Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Bona joined WJSN in the third round of Mnet's competition show Queendom, which the group ultimately won in June 2022.

Credited as Kim Ji-yeon

In March 2023, Kim starred in the historical legal revenge drama Joseon Attorney (2023) as a princess during the Joseon period.
In February 2024, Kim under her full name starred in the series Pyramid Game (2024) as Sung Soo-ji of Class 5 at Baekyeon Girls' High School, who was bullied in the school under the pretext of a game.