Yoona (윤아) was born in Seoul, South Korea. She began to train with the other trainees under SM Entertainment in the areas of acting, singing and dancing. She has trained with SM for 5 years, after which she joined and debuted under Girls' Generation. She is a 2009 graduate of Daeyoung High School and a 2015 graduate of Dongguk University, where she majored in theater and music, along with her fellow member, Seohyun, who graduated the year prior.