Kim Ji-won Profile: Slowly but Surely Gaining Prevalence on the Korean Screen (2024 Updated)
Actress Kim Ji-won has been making waves in the Korean entertainment industry with her remarkable performances and undeniable charm
Who is Kim Ji-won?
- Real Name: Kim Ji-won
- Stage Name: Kim Ji-won
- Date of Birth: October 19, 1992
- Nationality: Korean
- Instagram: @geewonii
Kim Ji-won was born on October 19, 1992, in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. She has an elder sister who is two years older than her.
It is known that Kim Ji-won actually trained to become a K-pop idol for over 3 years, after being scouted by an entertainment agency in middle school.
Among netizens and the public, Kim Ji-won is widely recognized for her natural beauty with no traces of plastic surgery, to the point of being called a “little Kim Tae-hee”.
Career
Before acting debut
Kim Ji-won was a background vocalist for the singer Younha, performing as a keyboardist and background vocalist in various performances as well as appearing in Younha’s music video “Gossip Boy” in 2008. There were even plans for Kim Ji-won to debut as a singer under the stage name “Jessica K”.
However, prior to the aforementioned planned debut, Kim Ji-won made an appearance in the drama “Mrs. Saigon”, and filmed a commercial for LG Cyon in 2010 alongside K-pop group BIGBANG. From this commercial, Kim Ji-won went viral as the “lollipop girl”. She would later become known for starring in a commercial for carbonated drink Oran C.
After acting debut
Kim Ji-won’s first official acting role was the romance omnibus film “Romantic Heaven”. However, she first gained attention as an actress after starring in the 2011 sitcom “High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged”.
From hereon, Kim Ji-won officially focused completely on acting, and the breakthrough in the actress’s career came after she assumed the “villain” role of rich heiress Yoo Rachel in the hit teen K-drama “The Heirs”.
Another pivotal point was in 2016, when Kim Ji-won starred as the 2nd female lead in “Descendants of the Sun”, a hugely popular series that helped Kim Ji-won’s popularity to skyrocket.
Afterwards, Kim Ji-won is often casted for leading roles, and made a memorable impression with the 2017 K-drama “Fight for My Way”. Her leading roles in later series, such as “Arthdal Chronicles” and “My Liberation Notes” would solidify Kim Ji-won’s popularity and prove her acting capabilities.
In 2024, Kim Ji-won enjoyed another wave of popularity as the female lead of “Queen of Tears”.
Awards
Across her career, Kim Ji-won has earned fair share of awards and nominations. Notable ones include being nominated for Best Actress at the 2023 Baeksang Arts Awards, winning “Best Actress” and Best Couple Awards at the 2016 and 2017 KBS Drama Awards, and winning the New Star Awards at the SBS Drama Awards.
Controversies
Kim Ji-won is known as a “scandal-free” actress, as she is well known for her stellar personality, never stumbling across any personal controversy.
However, Kim Ji-won’s latest work, “Queen of Tears”, is currently under backlash for allegedly promoting coffee brand Starbucks. It is known that Starbucks is a target of a boycott movement to show support for Palestine – which is undergoing a humanity crisis due to attacks from Israel, so promotion of it is being considered as tone-deaf.
