Uhm Jung-hwa made her official debut as a singer in 1993 with the full-length album Sorrowful Secret. She went on to establish herself as a pop diva with a string of successful albums such as 1997’s After Love and 1998’s Invitation, which spawned the hit singles Rose of Betrayal and Poison, respectively. In 1999, she released her fifth studio album called 005.1999.06, which produced the top-charting songs I Don’t Know and Festival. The album also won her several awards, including a Bonsang at the 1999 Golden Disk Awards. In 2017, she returned to the music scene after years of hiatus with her 10th studio album titled The Cloud Dream of the Nine, which featured nine tracks.

Uhm Jung-hwa debuted in the big screen in 1992 through the film Marriage Story. The following year, she starred in the movie On a Windy Day We Must Go to Apgujeong, which earned her the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the 17th Golden Cinema Festival. In 2003, she acted alongside Kam Woo-sung in the erotic film Marriage Is a Crazy Thing, which won her Best Actress at the 39th Baeksang Arts Awards. In 2006, she raked in numerous Best Actress nominations for her work in the drama film For Horowitz. In 2012, she took home another Baeksang Best Actress trophy for the romantic comedy film Dancing Queen. In 2013, she received the Best Actress honors at the 50th Grand Bell Awards for the thriller film Montage. In 2017, she was nominated for the Daesang at the MBC Drama Awards for her leading role in the high-rating weekend drama You’re Too Much.

Uhm Jung-hwa is the sister of actor Uhm Tae-woong. In May 2010, she underwent a successful thyroid cancer operation.