Ha Ji-won



Jeon Hae-rim (Hangul: 전해림) (born 28 June 1978), better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won (Hangul: 하지원) is a South Korean actress. She is best known amongst international viewers for playing Gil Ra-im in SBS's romantic comedy Secret Garden. She starred in several films and television series, winning various awards and accolades along the way.

Ha Ji-won is one of South Korea’s most sought after actresses, known for her versatility in pulling off roles in various genres such as action (including martial arts), comedy,drama and sports. ==Career[edit] ==

Ha Ji-won made her debut in 1996 with a small role in the teen drama Adults Don't Know. She continued to play supporting roles in dramas before making her film debut in Truth Game as a fan club president, winning 2 Best Actress Awards for her first film. She won the 21st Blue Dragon Film Awards’ Best Supporting Actress for her next film, Ditto.

After achieving wider public recognition as the "queen of horror" for her roles in a series of surprisingly successful horror movies, Nightmare and Phone, she starred in Sex is Zero, which eventually became the second highest grossing comedy film in South Korea in 2003, avoiding being typecasted.

Her popularity continued to rise with the period drama Damo. Playing the lead actress, she was lauded for the efforts and was crowned the Best Actress in the 2003 MBC Drama Awards. Damo proved to be hugely popular with the online Korean community, leading her to win the Netizen Popularity Award as well. Ha Ji-won has mentioned that Damo was her most cherished performance.

Ha Ji-won continued acting in several television series, winning awards for each effort. She won the Best Actress Award in the 2004 SBS Drama Awards for What Happened in Bali and the Daesang (Grand Prize) for playing the titular character in Hwang Jini during the 2006 KBS Drama Awards, cementing her position as a A-list star. Her standout performance in Hwang Jini allowed her to pick up the Best Actress Award at the Bulgaria’s Golden Chest Awards, marking her first international award.

In 2009, Ha Ji-won starred in the blockbuster disaster film Haeundae, which became the 5th Korean film to surpass 10 million viewers. She finally won the Best Actress in a Film with the melodrama Closer to Heaven.

After filming 'Sector 7', she had difficulty coming out of character which negatively influenced her performance in her next project, Secret Garden. This prompted her to seek psychiatric therapy.

Ha Ji-won starred alongside Hyun Bin in the 2010 Romantic hit drama Secret Garden, winning the Best Actress Award, Netizen award and Best Couple award with Hyun Bin in SBS Drama awards 2010. Secret Garden was highly popular domestically and Internationally, and was later broadcast in 13 countries, establishing the drama's popularity overseas.

Ha Ji-won played a North Korean Special Forces officer in The King 2 Hearts, set in an alternate universe in which South Korea is governed by a constitutional monarchy. Despite the drama’s falling viewer ratings, she was praised for her portrayal.

Ha Ji-Won is known for being willing to take on physically demanding roles. In the action film Sector 7, she performed the stunts herself, even attaining her motorcycle and scuba diving licenses for her role in the film. During the shooting for The King 2 Hearts, she completed the martial arts stunts without a double. In addition, she has learnt several challenging sports for filming, such as sports aerobics in Sex is Zero, Sunmudo for Duelist, boxing for Miracle on 1st Street, and most recently, table tennis for As One. Despite suffering several injuries in the process, Ha Ji-won managed to complete her filming. ==Charity Work[edit] ==

Ha Ji-won does charity work with her fans on a regular basis, such as delivering coal to Bangbae-dong, a rural village not covered under government subsidies.

Ha Ji-won has played a active role in helping underprivileged and disabled children, running a donation project named "Smile Again Foundation" with Gangnam-gu Family Welfare Center. The project was supplemented by Ha Ji-won's fan club members while she went the extra mile to ensure the sustainability of the project. Ha Ji-won was conferred the Prime Minister's Award for the '2008 Family Month Event', in recognition of her consistent and active hard work in contributing to programs for poor and handicapped families.

Ha Ji-won also donated the proceeds from her first book, This Moment, to charity. The recipients of the book earnings, children’s aid group Choi Kyung Joo Foundation and Yonsei University Hospital, have announced their decision to set up a scholarship for prospective arts students and to subsidize treatment for deaf and blind children respectively.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Along with fellow actor Song Joong-ki, she attended the 'Medical Korea 2013 Sharing Medical Treatment Commemorative Event', an event hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, promoting greater international co-operation for medical technology and positive medical tourism. During the event, both actors spent time with recovering children and received an award for their previous efforts in promoting the sharing of medical services.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Although organ donation was not common in South Korea at the time, Ha Ji-won pledged to donate her cornea after death in January 2005. ==Ambassadorial Roles<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==

<p style="line-height:1.5em;">Ha Ji-won has held a number of ambassadorial positions throughout her career.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">Ha Ji-won was appointed as an honorary coach for young athletes until the 2012 London Olympics to promote exercise and to help develop young athletes.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:1.5em;">As New Zealand’s Cultural Ambassador to Korea, Ha Ji-won has contributed to the New Zealand-South Korea bilateral relations. ==Filmography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] == ===Film<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ===

===Television drama<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ===

===Music video<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ===

===Television hosting<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ===

===Variety shows<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ===

==Book<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==

==Awards and nominations<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==

==Other Awards<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] ==