Jinju Seong

Jinju Seong (Korean: 성진주, Seong Jin-ju) is a secondary character in TNT's Snowpiercer. She is portrayed by Susan Park.

She was the finest chef at the train's finest restaurant and a member of the train's elite as the Agricultural officer.

History

Background

Jinju lived in San Francisco before boarding Snowpiercer.^[1]

Throughout The Series

Season 1

Jinju is first seen, swimming around and collecting coral in the Aquarium car where she works as a chef.

Personality

Relationships

Jinju is in a romantic relationship with Bess Till,^[2] which Till prefers to keep secret for the time being. Jinju believes Till to be uncomfortable with her comparatively lower social status since Till is a Third Class citizen while Jinju is a Second Class citizen.^[1] She then makes Bess Till a second class. They break up after the rebellion due to their differing views on it.

Appearances

Season One

Memorable Quotes

Melanie: "How was the harvest?"

Jinju: "I thought the boss could use some comfort food tonight. I bet you can use a drink."

Melanie: "What should we toast to? How about whatever is making you smile so much right now? Or is it whomever?"

Jinju: "Is it that obvious?"

Melanie: "Oh you’re beaming. But there’s something I have to tell you. I’m bringing Nikki Genet out of drawers. We locked up the wrong person. I have no choice. How bad will she be?"

Junju: "Two years in there. Won’t be pretty."

Melanie: "Will you monitor her? Work with Klimpt? Learn what you can."

Jinju: "And if the people starting the wrong question?"

Melanie: "I’ll handle that. Then, once this murder’s solve. The other work can continue."

― Melanie discuss her next move with Jinju in First, the Weather Changed at The Aquarium.

Jinju: "We can’t ration any more power to Ag-Sec unless we start canceling crops."

Melanie: "We’re not breaking rotation."

Bennett: "Water won’t flow for a couple days at least. Not until the crack in the hull is seal."

Jinju: "Then we only have what’s in the reservoir for Third, Ag-Sec and Tail."

Melanie: "[ sighs] We ration the people, not the crops. Third and Second will get 15 minutes of running water a day, and the Tail will have to survive on what they’ve hoarded."

Bennett: "Is this what the start of a resource crash feels like? Starving the train from the tail up."

Jinju: "It’s not just the beef. It’s manure for fertilizer. It’s bovine cultures. We use their methane."

Melanie: "I know. It’s bad. But how bad stays between us. In the meantime, we press ahead with selecting the new apprentice and we bolster faith in Wilford to get them through."

― Jinju discuss water lacking problem with Melanie and Bennett, and revealing she knows about how Melanie is pretending to be Mr. Wilford in Prepare to Brace.

Melanie: "This is Melanie."

Jinju: "It's me."

Melanie: "Hey, what's up?"

Jinju: "We don't want the investigators to see Nikki like this, right?"

Melanie: "No. Why?"

Jinju: "Till might be on her way soon."

Melanie: "Thanks, Jinju."

― Jinju warns Melanie on the phone in Access Is Power.

Jinju: "[picks up the phone] Argricultural Officer."

Melanie: "Nikki Genêt is dead."

― Jinju and Melanie on the phone in Without Their Maker.

“	The whole time, Erik’s focus was Lilah Junior. I was as much her hostage as I was his. That was what they wanted, Erik and LJ, to kill us all in a nihilistic rage. But the Eternal Engine is still here.	”
	— Jinju's testimony in LJ's case in Justice Never Boarded.

Melanie: "Look. They’re circulated all through Third. It’s blowback from the trial."

Jinju: "Shit. They can cripple every system on the train."

Melanie: "Yes they could."

Jinju: "They’d suffer along with the rest of us. They’re putting the gun to their own head."

Melanie: "Well, it seems like to pull the balance of power their way, they’re willing to risk it."

Jinju: "What do you gonna do?"

Melanie: "I’m going to crush it."

― Melanie and Jinju discuss The Third's Strike at the Engine in Trouble Comes Sideways.

Bess: "Hey, you. What are you doing here? (kisses)"

Jinju: "(chuckles) Layton got out. He's loose on the train."

Bess: "What do you mean? He got out of the Tail?"

Jinju: "Where were you two nights ago when you didn't show up?"

Bess: "I uh... I told you last night. I'm nervous about all this. I stayed in Third."

Jinju: "Bess, there are things happening that you don't understand. If you know where Layton is, you need to tell me now."

Bess: "I don't, okay? I'm late for my shift."

― Bess to Jinju in the hallway, in The Universe Is Indifferent.

Bess: "Hi."

Jinju: "Where have you been?"

Bess: "Look, I can't explain. I just need you to stay out of Third today, okay?"

Jinju: "Why? What did you do, Bess? Is this about Layton?"

Bess: "Just stay home. Please."

Jinju: "I asked you point blank whether you were helping him, and you lied to my face?"

Bess: "Jinju... Why did you ask me to steer clear of Melanie Cavill?"

Jinju: "Because you're messing with things that you don't understand."

Bess: "What things? You knew she put Layton in a drawer, didn't you? You're protecting her."

Jinju: "I was protecting you, Bess. You."

―

Bess: "Did you know... she tortured a Tailie to death. (silence) I wonder, Jinju, just how many deep, dark secrets about this train you really do know."

Jinju: "Please don't make me choose between you and the train."

Bess: "Just stay in here today."

― Bess to Jinju before the revolution in Jinju's quarter, in These Are His Revolutions.

Melanie: "Oh, God. I’m shaking. How did you do that?"

Jinju: "Coercion and gifts. How do you think? But we don’t have time. Come on, Mel. We have to go. Mel. There are still reasonable people uptrain. We can rally support. Take the Folgers head-on."

Melanie: "First is lost."

Jinju: "The entire train is lost. But we have to try."

Melanie: "Stay uptrain. Be careful."

Jinju: "Where are you going?"

Melanie: "Downtrain."

― Jinju saves Melanie's life in The Train Demanded Blood.

Jinju: "They raided Poultry, damaged Aquaculture, stole half a car of lettuce. They're taking anything they want. Now I have serious supply-chain issues, and you want the whole train to have equal calories?"

Bess: "That's your first priority."

Jinju: "We're down 16 trained men. We're going on 48 hours no sleep."

Bess: "Oh, thank you for your efforts, Jinju. [...] I just don't understand how you could just keep such a big lie from me. And the whole train."

Jinju: "Because this is the alternative. And if the people needed a Wilford, why deny them that hope? Come on, Till. Would you really rather be alone?"

Bess: "I'm not alone. I've got my sisters and brothers I stood with and a responsibility to Snowpiercer I have never felt before."

Jinju: "So we finally agree. The Train comes first. (kisses) You know what they say when you break up on Snowpiercer."

Bess: "See you around."

― Jinju to Bess after the revolution in Greenhouse (C0727), in 994 Cars Long.

Trivia

She has spoken the opening dialogue for Without Their Maker.
She is a Second-class citizen.^[1]
She was among one of the only people who know that Melanie Cavill is the mysterious "Mr. Wilford".
She was revealed to have been in a romantic relationship with Bess Till.^[2]
She is a member of the LGBT community.
She is completely absent and never mentioned in Season 2 and Season 3 with no explanation for her disappearance.

Gallery

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Season 1, Episode 4: "Without Their Maker"
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Season 1, Episode 3: "Access Is Power"

[s1e04-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Season 1, Episode 4: "Without Their Maker"

[s1e03-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Season 1, Episode 3: "Access Is Power"

[1]

[2]