Before Blackpink: How Jisoo's intense 30-second ad with Lee Min-ho was the real sparkling debut

Now that’s some real angst right there.

Eight years ago, Blackpink’s Jisoo—before she became Blackpink’s Jisoo that is, starred in a 30-second ad with Lee Min-ho, which created all the buzz at the time. In the ad, the two have a heated confrontation, before Jisoo gets into the car and leaves. Min-ho chases after her—plot twist, to only get the bag that they were endorsing. The ad resurfaced on Twitter recently, with Jisoo’s fans demanding that she do a melodrama once more. “This is too funny,” one fan wrote. Another added, “Please choose Jisoo over the bag.”

Before the viral ad and her global idol fame, Jisoo was a trainee under YG Entertainment. She joined the company in 2011 and spent five years honing her singing, dancing, and performance skills. Even during her trainee days, Jisoo caught attention for her striking visuals and charm—so much so that she made cameo appearances in music videos, commercials, and even had a brief role in the K-drama The Producers (2015). Her debut finally came in August 2016, when she was introduced as the visual and lead vocalist of Blackpink.

Since then, Jisoo’s career has soared. In 2021, she landed her first leading role in a television drama, starring as Eun Yeong-ro in JTBC’s Snowdrop. The role earned her praise for her emotional range and screen presence, with fans calling it a long-overdue acting debut. She also made her solo music debut in 2023 with the single album ME, which broke several records and established her as a solo artist in her own right.

Now, Jisoo is balancing both music and acting. While she continues to perform with Blackpink, she’s also working on her next screen project—her upcoming film Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint alongside Lee Min-ho (yes, full circle)—marking her big-screen debut. She’s also a global ambassador for Dior and Cartier, moving between the worlds of fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

So yes, the bag may have gotten all the attention in that ad, but Jisoo? She’s got the whole world chasing after her now.