Will Jones
Picture a casting brief where “Asian” is not simply a characteristic of the role, but the role itself. That was one of the limitations Yuna Park encountered when she began modelling in Mexico, where opportunities for Asian models were still relatively limited.
She did not see that limitation as something that had to define her career.
Instead, she continued pursuing a wider range of roles and opportunities. Over time, her work expanded beyond Asian-specific casting into global commercial productions, where she has portrayed different characters for different markets and audiences.
Today, Yuna Park’s commercial modelling résumé includes campaigns and productions for Apple, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta,Samsung, Amazon Fashion, Gucci in partnership with El Palacio de Hierro, Johnnie Walker, Nissan, Hims & Hers, Tinder, Vibram, Uber Eats, Snapchat, and Zalando. A number of these projects have cast her in leading roles.
For Yuna, the story is not simply about becoming a model. It is about building a career across cultures while remaining open to roles and creative opportunities that extend beyond the category in which she was initially placed.
A Path That Didn’t Start in Front of the Camera
Yuna was born and raised in South Korea, where she studied Economics. Her early professional experience was not centred on modelling. She had some experience working behind the scenes in advertising and production while also maintaining an interest in being in front of the camera.
Before moving to Mexico, she interned at ECLAC, the United Nations regional commission, in Chile, working in an environment far removed from the commercial and creative work that would eventually become the centre of her career. She then moved to Mexico, where she completed a Master’s degree in Political Science, with a focus on Communication, at UNAM.
After graduate school, Yuna decided to pursue an interest she had already had for some time: moving from behind the scenes to in front of the camera.
Mexico became the place where she began building that career. She was interested not only in modelling itself, but also in what it meant to express herself as a Korean and Asian woman within a different cultural environment.
That interest gradually developed into an international commercial career. Although based in Mexico, Yuna has worked with directors, production companies, agencies, and creative teams from different countries, taking on roles that extend beyond ethnicity-specific casting.
The result is a career that crosses industries and markets rather than remaining tied to one type of commercial brief.
Beyond the Category
Yuna Park’s work has expanded across technology, fashion, spirits, food delivery, entertainment, and other commercial sectors. The breadth of those projects is notable, but so is the progression behind them.
She entered modelling at a point when Asian representation in Mexico’s commercial industry was relatively limited. Instead of treating ethnicity-specific casting as a boundary around what she could do, she continued pursuing a wider range of opportunities.
That approach has allowed her to portray different characters for different markets and audiences, while building a portfolio that is increasingly global in scope.
Her career therefore offers a different way of looking at representation. It is not only about being included in a particular category. It is also about having the opportunity to move beyond that category and be considered for a broader range of work.
Fluency Across Cultures
Yuna is fluent in Korean, English, and Spanish, which has become a natural part of working across different cultures and creative environments.
Her multilingual background is particularly relevant to a career built between South Korea, Mexico, and international productions. It allows her to work directly with creative teams across different linguistic and cultural settings while remaining connected to the environments in which she works.
That cross-cultural experience also extends beyond modelling.
Alongside commercial work, Yuna has pursued acting, dance, and music videos, including an appearance in a music video for Masego. She has also explored independent creative work, including directing a documentary about cempasúchil flower workers in Mexico, which was later screened as part of a Día de los Muertos cultural programme.
Her creative interests extend further into oil painting and stand-up comedy, which she has performed in Spanish in Mexico.
These projects are not separate from her modelling career so much as additional expressions of the same interest in performance, storytelling, and working across cultures.
Starting Before Everything Feels Perfect
Perhaps the clearest insight into Yuna Park’s approach comes from the advice she gives to others considering an unconventional path.
“You don’t have to wait until everything feels perfect to begin.”
For her, that principle applies to more than modelling. She believes it is acceptable to start modelling later than originally imagined, move to another country without knowing anyone, or step onto a stand-up comedy stage in another language without feeling completely prepared.
Her own career reflects that willingness to begin before having everything figured out.
She moved from an academic and policy-oriented path into modelling. She built that career in a country different from the one where she grew up. She worked across languages and cultures, then expanded into acting, filmmaking, visual art, and comedy.
None of those choices required her to abandon what came before. Instead, each became another part of a career that has continued to expand.
What Comes Next
Today, Yuna Park continues to work primarily as a commercial model while expanding further into acting and developing her own creative projects.
Her goal is to keep growing globally while building a career in which commercial modelling, acting, filmmaking, and visual art can coexist. She is particularly interested in projects that allow her to move naturally across cultures, languages, and forms of storytelling while remaining true to her own perspective.
That ambition is consistent with the path she has already taken.
Yuna’s career began with an interest in moving from behind the scenes to in front of the camera. In Mexico, she found an opportunity to build that career while navigating an industry where Asian representation was still relatively limited. Rather than allowing ethnicity-specific casting to determine the boundaries of her work, she continued pursuing different roles and creative opportunities.
The result is not a story about one breakthrough.
It is a story about expansion.
From South Korea to Mexico. From Economics and Political Science to commercial modelling. From modelling to acting and performance. From commercial campaigns to documentary filmmaking, painting, and Spanish-language stand-up.
Yuna Park’s career continues to develop across those different worlds, with modelling at its centre and the possibilities around it still widening.