ArtistShowrunner
Kim Hee-won
Kim Hee-won (김희원) is one of Korean television's most consequential directors. A graduate of Korea National University of Arts, she joined MBC in 2006 as an assistant director and spent over a decade building her craft through long-form narrative television before striking out on her own.
Her breakout came with Vincenzo (2021), tvN's sprawling crime epic that combined legal satire with operatic violence. The series earned her a Best Director nomination at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation at the 2021 Korea Content Awards. Little Women (2022) followed, a tight class-conflict thriller that earned critical consensus as one of the best Korean dramas of the year.
Queen of Tears (2024) was her apex: co-directed with Jang Young-woo, the series became the highest-rated drama in tvN's history at the time of broadcast, rewriting records that had stood for years. The show demonstrated her command of scale, emotion, and pacing across an extended run.
Kim Hee-won's next project is I Decided to Die, adapting YUJU's acclaimed Naver Webtoon for tvN, produced by Studio Dragon. She is one of the clearest examples in Korean entertainment of a director whose attachment to a project shifts the cultural calculus entirely.
1 articles7 creditsSouth Korean
Gallery
Filmography
2026
Detective Park Mi-okK-Drama
Director
2026
I Decided to DieK-Drama
Director
2024
Queen of TearsK-Drama
Co-Director
2024
Tempest (폭풍)K-Drama
Director
2022
Little WomenK-Drama
Director
2021
VincenzoK-Drama
Director
2019
The Crowned ClownK-Drama
Director
Fans Also Ask
What dramas has Kim Hee-won directed?
Kim Hee-won is best known for directing Vincenzo (2021), Little Women (2022), and Queen of Tears (2024) on tvN. Queen of Tears became the highest-rated drama in tvN history. She also directed The Crowned Clown (2019), Tempest (2024), and is in production on I Decided to Die and Detective Park Mi-ok.
What is Kim Hee-won directing next?
Kim Hee-won is set to direct I Decided to Die for tvN and Studio Dragon, an adaptation of YUJU's acclaimed Naver Webtoon, starring Roh Yoon-seo and Lee Chae-min. She is also attached to Detective Park Mi-ok, an investigative thriller reuniting her with Little Women screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong.
What awards has Kim Hee-won won?
Kim Hee-won received a Best Director nomination at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for Vincenzo (2021) and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation at the 2021 Korea Content Awards. Queen of Tears (2024) became the highest-rated drama in tvN history under her direction.
What is Showrunner, Kim Hee-won's production company?
Showrunner (쇼러너스) is a Korean production label co-founded by directors Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won on January 31, 2020, now operating under the Imaginus label group. Kim's inaugural project under Showrunner was Queen of Tears (2024), which became one of tvN's highest-rated dramas ever. The company houses multiple directors and creative talent.
Has Kim Hee-won collaborated with a recurring screenwriter?
Yes. Kim Hee-won has developed a long creative partnership with screenwriter Jeong Seo-kyeong. The duo co-created Little Women (2022) and Tempest (2024), and are set to reunite for the upcoming investigative thriller Detective Park Mi-ok, cementing one of K-drama's most acclaimed director-writer pairings.
