Moon Chae-won (; born November 13, 1986) is a South Korean actress. Moon first attracted attention in her supporting role as a

gisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

in ''

Painter of the Wind ''Painter of the Wind'' () is a 2008 South Korean historical television series starring Park Shin-yang and Moon Geun-young. Based on the bestselling historical fiction novel by Lee Jung-myung that took artistic license with the premise that per ...

'' (2008). She then starred in ''

Brilliant Legacy ''Brilliant Legacy'' (), also known as ''Shining Inheritance'', is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Han Hyo-joo, Lee Seung-gi, Moon Chae-won, and Bae Soo-bin. It aired on SBS from April 25 to July 26, 2009 on Saturdays and Sunda ...

'' (2009), one of the top-rated

Korean drama Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise ...

s of that year. Moon's career breakthrough came with leading roles in the television

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

The Princess' Man ''The Princess' Man'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series, starring Park Si-hoo, Moon Chae-won, Kim Yeong-cheol, Song Jong-ho, Hong Soo-hyun and Lee Soon-jae. It's a historical drama depicting the forbidden romance between the daughter ...

'' (2011) and the action blockbuster ''

War of the Arrows ''War of the Arrows'' (), alternately titled ''Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon'', is a 2011 South Korean historical action film starring Park Hae-il, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Moon Chae-won. Set after the Qing invasion of Joseon, the film is about an a ...

'' (2011); both of which were critical and commercial hits. For her performance in the latter, Moon won Best New Actress at the

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

and the

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

. Moon's other notable television series include the revenge melodrama '' The Innocent Man'' (2012), the

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

'' Good Doctor'' (2013), and the thriller melodrama '' Flower of Evil'' (2020).

Early life

Moon Chae-won was born in

Jung District, Daegu Jung District () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, ''gu'', or district, covering the downtown area of Daegu, South Korea. It borders most of the other districts of Daegu, including Nam-gu (Daegu), Nam-gu to the south, Seo-gu (Daegu) ...

, South Korea. When she was in sixth grade, her family moved to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. She studied Western Painting at the Chugye University for the Arts but dropped out in 2006 to pursue acting.

Career

2007–2010: Beginnings

Moon made her acting debut in 2007 in '' Mackerel Run'', alongside fellow newcomer

Lee Min-ho Lee Min-ho (, born June 22, 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained widespread fame with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in the Korean drama, television series ''Boys Over Flowers (2009 TV series), Boys Over Flowers'' (2009), which also earn ...

; they were among 60 actors who auditioned for the teen

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

. Moon and Lee also appeared in the 2008 comedy film '' Our School's E.T.''. Moon Chae-won at the Golden Disk Awards 2008

Her breakthrough came in 2008 period drama ''

''. In the adaptation of Lee Jung-myung's historical fiction novel, she played a beautiful

who falls for

Shin Yun-bok Sin Yun-bok (; 1758–1813), better known by his art name Hyewon, was a Korean painter of the Joseon period. Like his contemporaries Danwon and Geungjae, he is known for his realistic depictions of daily life in his time. His genre paintings ...

(played by

Moon Geun-young Moon Geun-young (; born May 6, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Affectionately called the "Nation's Little Sister", Moon began modeling at the age of 10, then made her acting debut in 1999 as a child actress. She first rose to stardom through h ...

), a female painter passing herself off as a man. Their onscreen chemistry and the

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

subtext of their characters' relationship was received positively, and the couple subsequently received the most votes in the Best Couple poll at the

2008 SBS Drama Awards The 2008 SBS Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the best performances in television on the Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS network for the year 2008. It was held on December 31, 2008, at the SBS Open Hall in Deungchon-dong, Seoul, and was host ...

. It was the first time in

history that two actresses won the Best Couple Award, despite the sexual conservatism of Korean network television. Moon's further raised her profile with ''

'', in which she played a privileged girl who alternately antagonizes and pities her stepsister. ''Brilliant Legacy'' became one of the top-rated Korean dramas of 2009, with a peak viewership rating of 47.1%. The success of the drama boosted Moon's popularity as an actress. Another supporting role followed in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'', where she played an upbeat shoe designer who lives next door to her crush, a butler. In October 2010, she signed with talent agency Barunson Entertainment (later renamed MSTeam). Afterwards, Moon landed her first leading role in ''

It's Okay, Daddy's Girl ''It's Okay, Daddy's Girl'' () is a South Korean television series that aired on SBS TV from November 22, 2010 to January 28, 2011. Plot Being the youngest and spoiled in her family, Eun Chae-ryung would completely rely on her father. When he h ...

'', playing an immature daughter who transforms into a mature professional woman after a family tragedy.

2011: Breakthrough

In 2011, Moon was offered the sole female role in ''

'', an action blockbuster set during the

Second Manchu invasion of Korea The Qing invasion of Joseon () occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and formally severing Jo ...

. Along with her costars

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (; born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with '' Scent of Love'' and '' Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, with lea ...

and Ryu Seung-ryong, Moon underwent serious archery and horse-riding lessons. ''War of the Arrows'' eventually went on to become the highest grossing Korean film of 2011, with 7.48 million admissions. Moon was praised for her portrayal of a feminine yet feisty woman abducted by a foreign army on her wedding day, yet who isn't a typical

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...

and instead survives by her wits and sheer will. She later received Best New Actress recognition at the

and the

for her performance. Moon returned to the small screen in the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

-era drama ''

'', about a fictional forbidden romance between the daughter of Grand Prince Suyang and the son of

Kim Chongsŏ Kim Chongsŏ (; 1383 – 10 November 1453) was a prominent military official and politician of the early Joseon dynasty. His ancestral home was Suncheon. He was also known under the names Kukkyŏng and Chŏlchae, and his posthumous name was Ch' ...

(played by Park Si-hoo), whose fathers were real-life political enemies. ''The Princess' Man'' was well-received critically and commercially, and though initially criticized for her acting, Moon won viewers over as the series went on, eventually winning a Top Excellence Award at the year-end

KBS Drama Awards The KBS Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on 31 December. The highest honor of the ceremony is the "Gr ...

. She also received a Best Dressed nod from the Korea Lifestyle Awards for giving a boost to the

hanbok The hanbok () is the traditional clothing of the Koreans, Korean people. The term ''hanbok'' is primarily used by South Koreans; North Koreans refer to the clothes as (). The clothes are also worn in the Korean diaspora. Koryo-saram—ethnic Ko ...

fashion industry via her two period projects, and was named Honorary Prosecutor by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

2012–present: Acclaim

In 2012, Moon starred in the

Lee Kyung-hee Lee Kyung-hee (born 26 July 1969) is a South Korean television screenwriter. Career Early works Lee Kyung-hee began her television drama writing career penning star vehicles, among them ''Model'' (1997) with Kim Nam-joo and Jang Dong-gun, ' ...

-penned melodrama '' The Innocent Man'' opposite

Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor who primarily works in television. His accolades include two Baeksang Arts Awards, one Buil Film Award and two Blue Dragon Film Awards. Since 2012, he has appeared on ''Forbe ...

. She drew praise for her performance as a cold, cynical woman groomed to take over her father's conglomerate, who later reverts to helpless innocence after losing her memory. Ratings for ''The Innocent Man'' topped its timeslot during its run and led to Moon winning a Top Excellence Award at the

for the second year in a row. This was followed by the 2013

'' Good Doctor'' revolving around an

autistic savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodeve ...

resident Resident may refer to: People and functions * Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country * Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training * Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceut ...

(played by

Joo Won Joo Won (; born Moon Joon-won on September 30, 1987) is a South Korean actor. He is known for starring in the television series '' Bread, Love and Dreams'' (2010), '' Ojakgyo Family'' (2011–2012), '' Bridal Mask'' (2012), '' Good Doctor'' (201 ...

). To prepare for her role as

pediatric surgeon Pediatric surgery is a medical specialty, subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. History Pediatric surgery arose in the middle of the 1879 century as the surgical care of birt ...

, Moon met with real-life doctors in a hospital setting, familiarizing herself with medical terms and observing surgeries first-hand. She next starred in ''

Awaiting ''Awaiting'' () is a 2014 South Korean short film written and directed by Kang Je-gyu, starring Moon Chae-won and Go Soo. It is one of four short films comprising ''Beautiful 2014'', the third annual omnibus project commissioned by Chinese onl ...

'', a

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed by

Kang Je-gyu Kang Je-gyu (born December 23, 1962) is a South Korean film director. Career After graduating from ChungAng University, Kang received his first prize at the Korea Youth Film Festival and Korea Scenario Awards in 1991. Kang's most notable cont ...

. Moon played a woman separated from her husband (played by

Go Soo Go Soo (; born October 4, 1978), also known as Ko Soo, is a South Korean actor. He has appeared in television series such as ''Piano (TV series), Piano'', ''Green Rose'' and ''Will It Snow for Christmas?'', as well as the films ''White Night (200 ...

) for sixty years by the division of North and South Korea. ''Awaiting'' was one of the four short films comprising ''Beautiful 2014'', an omnibus project that premiered at the 38th

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia's oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies and filmmakers from different countries, and takes place in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens ...

. Moon returned to the big screen in a 2015

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

directed by Park Jin-pyo, which reunited her with previous ''Brilliant Legacy'' costar

Lee Seung-gi Lee Seung-gi (; born January 13, 1987) is a South Korean singer, actor, host, lyricist and entertainer. As one of the highest paid celebrities of South Korea and recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including a Golden Disc Awards, Golde ...

. In '' Love Forecast'', she played a weather forecaster whose pretty face belies the glib-talking, hard-drinking personality underneath. The film passed the break-even point with 1.89 million viewers 3 weeks after being released and Moon won the Producer's Choice Award at Bucheon International Film Festival. She then starred opposite

Yoo Yeon-seok Ahn Yeon-seok (; born April 11, 1984), better known by the stage name Yoo Yeon-seok, is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works includ ...

in ''

Mood of the Day ''Mood of the Day'' () is 2016 South Korean film starring Moon Chae-won and Yoo Yeon-seok. Plot Kim Jae-hyun (Yoo Yeon-seok) is a sports manager and former talented basketball player. His only wish is to send a novice and promising player Kang ...

'', in which they play two strangers who meet on the KTX and spend 24 hours together in the unfamiliar city of

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

. Moon then took on the leading female role in MBC's thriller '' Goodbye Mr. Black'' in 2016, her first television series in three years. The same year, Moon left her former agency MS Team Entertainment and signed with Namoo Actors. In 2017, Moon was cast in the Korean adaption of the American crime drama ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Jeff Davis that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005. It follows a group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral ...

''. The same year, Moon was cast in the period film ''

Feng Shui Feng shui ( or ), sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term ''feng shui'' mean ...

'', the third installment of the "divining art trilogy" by

Han Jae-rim Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed ''Rules of Dating'' (2005), '' The Show Must Go On'' (2007), '' The Face Reader'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021), as well as Netfli ...

. In 2018, Moon starred in the romantic fantasy drama ''

Tale of Fairy ''Tale of Fairy'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Moon Chae-won, Yoon Hyun-min, Seo Ji-hoon, Jeon Soo-jin and Kang Mi-na. It is based on the popular webtoon of the same title by Dol Bae which was first published via Naver W ...

''. In 2020, Moon was cast in the thriller melodrama '' Flower of Evil'', reuniting with ''

'' co-star

Lee Joon-gi Lee Joon-gi (; born 17 April 1982) is a South Korean actor, singer, and dancer. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a clown in the critically acclaimed film '' The King and the Clown'' (2005) and gained further recognition in the ...

. In 2021, Moon joined the cast of the comedy film ''No Kids'' alongside

Kwon Sang-woo Kwon Sang-woo (; born August 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film '' My Tutor Friend'' and the melodrama series ''Stairway to Heaven''. His other notable credits include the films '' Once Upo ...

. Later in November 2021, Moon signed with YNK Entertainment after the expiration of her contract with the original agency. In December 2021, Moon participated in Korea's first audio drama ''Floor'' with

Lee Je-hoon Lee Je-hoon (; born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. Having found success in both film and television, Lee first gained recognition for his roles in the films '' Bleak Night'' (2011) and '' The Front Line'' (2011), receiving numerous awar ...

and

Jeong Jun-ha Jeong Jun-ha (; born March 18, 1971) is a South Korean comedian and entertainer. His well-known motto is "(Whether they) give love or not, (he) always gives love: Jeong Jun-ha" (). History Just after graduating Gangseo Senior High school, he e ...

. In 2023, Moon made her return to the small screen with the SBS drama '' Payback: Money and Power'', her return to terrestrial television in seven years since 2016. Later in the year in April, Moon made a special appearance in the SBS drama '' Taxi Driver 2''. In March 2025, Moon signed with new agency Blitzway Studios.

Ambassadorship

In January 2012, Moon was appointed as an honorary prosecutor by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for building social reputation and trust with the public, alongside

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Music video appearances

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Chae-won 1986 births Living people Actresses from Daegu People from Jung District, Daegu South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses 21st-century South Korean actresses Chugye University for the Arts alumni Best New Actress Blue Dragon Film Awards winners Best New Actress for Grand Bell Awards winners