ActorHaewadal Entertainment
Ha Ji-won
Ha Ji-won (하지원), born Jeon Hae-rim, built one of Korean screen acting's most durable lead runs after debuting in SBS drama work in the late 1990s. She broke into the mainstream through the hit comedy Sex Is Zero, then turned that momentum into deeper prestige with MBC's Damo, the role that first made her appointment-viewing television in Korea. Secret Garden and The King 2 Hearts confirmed how comfortably she could move between romance, action, and melodrama without losing box-office pull. Empress Ki later pushed that range even further across a demanding 51-episode historical run.
Rather than folding into a larger management system at the peak of her fame, Ha Ji-won launched Haewadal Entertainment in 2013 and kept building a career on her own terms. In 2026 she returned to the center of the drama conversation with ENA thriller Climax, leading the series opposite Ju Ji-hoon alongside Nana, Oh Jung-se, and Cha Joo-young. The comeback landed after a long gap in television, but the appeal stayed intact: precision, physical control, and the kind of screen authority Korean drama still builds entire projects around.
1 articles7 creditsDebut: January 1, 1998South Korean
Gallery
Ha Ji-won profile photo
Ha Ji-won, September 2025. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
Filmography
2026
ClimaxK-Drama
Chu Sang-ah
2013
Empress KiK-Drama
Empress Qi
2012
The King 2 HeartsK-Drama
Kim Hang-ah
2010
Secret GardenK-Drama
Gil Ra-im
2006
Hwang JiniK-Drama
Hwang Jini
2005
HospitalK-Drama
Kim Sun-joo
2003
DamoK-Drama
Chae-ok
Fans Also Ask
What is Ha Ji-won best known for?
Ha Ji-won is best known for Damo, Secret Garden, The King 2 Hearts, and Empress Ki. Those projects turned her into one of Korea's defining leading actresses because they showed her range across action, romance, comedy, and historical drama while keeping both ratings power and critical credibility intact.
What is Ha Ji-won's real name?
Ha Ji-won's real name is Jeon Hae-rim. She was born in Seoul on June 28, 1978, and adopted the stage name Ha Ji-won early in her career. The screen name stayed with her through her rise from late-1990s television newcomer to one of Korean drama's most recognizable top-line actresses.
What agency is Ha Ji-won with?
Ha Ji-won runs under Haewadal Entertainment, the management company she founded in 2013. The setup gives her unusual control over her schedule and project choices compared with actresses signed to major outside agencies, and it has remained central to the later phase of her career.
What is Ha Ji-won's latest drama?
Ha Ji-won's latest drama is Climax, the 2026 ENA political thriller that also streams internationally on Disney+. She plays Chu Sang-ah opposite Ju Ji-hoon, with Nana, Oh Jung-se, and Cha Joo-young in the cast. The series marked her high-profile return to television after a multi-year break.
When did Ha Ji-won debut?
Ha Ji-won began acting in the late 1990s and built early momentum through SBS television work before her film breakthrough in Truth Game and Sex Is Zero. By the time Damo aired in 2003, she had already put in years of auditions and smaller roles that shaped the intense screen discipline she became known for.
