Han Chae-young

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim. In the stage name or pen-name, the surname is Han.

Kim Ji-young (Korean: 김지영; born September 13, 1980), professionally known by the stage name Han Chae-young, is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition as the antagonist in the television series Autumn in My Heart (2000) before gaining wider prominence as the titular character in Sassy Girl Chun-hyang (2005). Her other roles include Only You (2005), Fireworks (2006), Boys Over Flowers (2009), A Man Called God (2010), and Pretty Man (2013).

Han Chae-young
Han Chae-young in September 2009
Born	Kim Ji-young (1980-09-13) September 13, 1980 (age 44) Daegu, South Korea
Other names	Rachel Kim
Alma mater	Dongguk University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2000–present
Agent	J-Flex Entertainment
Spouse	Choi Dong-joon ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	1
Korean name
Hangul	한채영
Hanja	韓彩英
Revised Romanization	Han Chaeyeong
McCune–Reischauer	Han Ch'aeyŏng
Birth name
Hangul	김지영
Hanja	金志英
Revised Romanization	Gim Jiyeong
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Chiyŏng

Early life

Han Chae-young was born as Kim Ji-young in Daegu, South Korea, but her family soon immigrated to the United States and she spent her childhood years in a Chicago suburb, where she attended Glenbrook South High School. During one of her visits to Korea, she was reportedly discovered by a famed Korean comedian who suggested that she put her college plans on hold and try acting.^[1][2]

Career

2000–2004: Early career

Taking on the stage name Han Chae-young, she made her acting debut in 2000 with the horror film The Record. Her role as the antagonist in the popular television melodrama Autumn in My Heart gave her more exposure, though she was criticized for her awkward acting skills.^[3]

She later gained the nickname "Barbie Doll of Korea," a reference to her tall, shapely proportions. Though this image would land her numerous commercial endorsements, her acting projects in the next few years saw Han typecast as an unapproachable beauty from a wealthy background.^[4]

2005–2008: Breakthrough

In 2005, Han achieved success with the South Korean romantic comedy television series Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, playing the titular role of a smart, lively high school girl who matured into a self-sufficient woman. A modern-day retelling of the famous folktale Chunhyangjeon, the series averaged 24.3% in viewership ratings, placing first in its slot for several episodes.^[5]

Her next two roles saw her playing a single mother with culinary dreams in the television series Only You (2005) and a jilted girl looking for employment in Exhibition of Fireworks (2006). Both series underperformed and she reverted to a glamorous character for the couple-swapping film Love Now (2007). In 2006, she signed an exclusive contract with BH Entertainment owned by Lee Byung-hun, and became one of the 1st talents of the newly found agency; BH Entertainment also manages many actors including Go Soo, Jin Goo, and Han Hyo-joo.

Han surprised fans by acting on stage for the first time in Jang Jin's play Clumsy People, which had a sell-out theater run from December 7, 2007, to March 2, 2008.^[6] Later that year she released her clothing line Rachel Han's (taken from her American name), produced in conjunction with online retailer G-Market.

2009–2012: International debut

In 2009 she made a special guest appearance in the smash hit drama Boys Over Flowers^[7] and starred in the films Good Morning President alongside Jang Dong-gun^[8][9] and Girlfriends. She later stated that her character in Girlfriend resembled her real self the most and was also the role she said she "had the most fun playing."^[10] The horror film Soul Mates, a Korea-New Zealand co-production, was supposed to have been Han's English-language international debut,^[11][12] but the project was later cancelled.^[13]

After a lengthy hiatus from the small screen (her 2009 fashion drama Magazine Allo did not push through due to plagiarism charges), Han was cast as a down-to-earth rookie journalist in 2010's manhwa adaptation A Man Called God.^[14] The ₩10 billion-budget action-romance series is based on the 1999 comic book of the same title by manhwa writer Park Bong-seong,^[15][16] and achieved higher than average ratings during its run.^[5]

She then played Lee Byung-hun's love interest in The Influence, an online mystery-fantasy movie about a love that transcends time and space.^[17][18] The English-speaking actress signed with agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that same year.^[19]

Considered a Korean Wave star due to the popularity of Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, Han began expanding her career to the mainland Chinese market. She starred in the 2011 fantasy-comedy A Big Deal opposite Blue Lan, Leon Jay Williams, and Chapman To.^{[1][20][21][22]} She was also cast in a leading role in Chinese television drama Wu Xie Ke Ji Zhi Lan Se Meng Xiang (lit. "Dream in Blue") opposite Zhu Zi Xiao, which aired on Zhejiang TV in 2012.

2013–present

After being under BH Entertainment for six years, Han left after her contract expiration in 2013 and signed with SM C&C.^{[23][unreliable source?]}

She returned to the small screen with the 2013 television series Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek, which is loosely based on internationally renowned advertising designer and social activist Jeseok Yi (a.k.a. Jeski), who wrote the 2010 book Ad Genius Lee Je-seok.^{[24][25][26][27][28]} The series also reunited Han with Jo Hyun-jae who previously worked together in the 2005 TV series Only You.^[29] Her next series was Pretty Man,^[30] playing the glamorous, successful woman that the main character (played by Jang Keun-suk) pines after.^[31] In 2015, Han began hosting her first variety show, Take Care of My Dressing Table, where professionals in the beauty industry such as makeup artists and hairdressers share their styling tips.^[32] But her career remained primarily in China, where Han filmed the web series Beauty Master, followed by the TV adaptation of the Chinese novel The Rebirth of a Celebrity Superstar.^[33]

Since 2017, she has been a cast member of KBS2's Sister's Slam Dunk, and made her singing debut as member of a temporary group called Unnies. In September 2017 Han returned to the big screen with the comedy film The Star Next Door, playing a star actress who has a teenage daughter (portrayed by Jin Ji-hee) that is kept a secret from the public.^[34]

In 2018, Han was cast in the MBC weekend drama A Promise with the Gods. This marks Han's first Korean drama appearance in four years.^[35]

In December 2022, Han signed with new agency J-Flex Entertainment.^[36]

In 2024, Han was cast in Snow White's Revenge, her first-ever regular appearance in a daily soap opera since she began acting in 2000. At the age of 43, she took on the role of the mother of an adult actor for the first time as she played the 54-year-old villain Moon Jeong-in.^{[37][unreliable source?]}

Personal life

Han married Korean-American businessman Choi Dong-joon on June 2, 2007, at Hotel Shilla in Seoul.^[38][39][40] She gave birth to a son on August 28, 2013.^[41]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2000	The Record	Eun-mi
2002	Bet on My Disco	Bong-ja
2003	Wild Card	Kang Na-na
2007	Love Now	So-yeo
2009	Good Morning President	Kim Yi-yeon
	Girlfriends	Jin
2010	The Influence	J	Online film
2011	A Big Deal	Zhou Yun	Chinese film
2016	The Guest		Chinese film	[42]
2017	The Star Next Door	Han Hye-mi

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2000	Autumn in My Heart	Choi/Yoon Shin-ae
2002	Affection	Yoo Hae-mi
2004	Beijing My Love	Jung Yeon-seok
2005	Sassy Girl Chun-hyang	Sung Chun-hyang
	Only You	Cha Eun-jae
2006	My Girl	Choi Han-na	Cameo appearance, episode 16
	Fireworks	Shin Na-ra
2009	Boys Over Flowers	Min Seo-hyun
2010	A Man Called God	Jin Bo-bae
	Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea		Tourism mini-movie
2012	Dream in Blue	Lin Wei Wei	Chinese television drama
2013	Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek	Go Ah-ri
	Bel Ami	Hong Yoo-ra
2015	1931 Love Story	Shang Wanting	Chinese television drama
2016	The Rebirth of a Celebrity Superstar		Chinese television drama
2018	A Pledge to God	Seo Ji-young
2022	Sponsor	Han Chae-rin		[43][44]
2024	Snow White's Revenge	Moon Jeong-in / Moon Gyeong-sook		[45]

Television shows

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2017	Sister's Slam Dunk	Regular cast
2017–2018	Wizard of Nowhere	Cast member
2018	Secret Unnie	Regular cast	With Yeri (Red Velvet)
2019	Why Not?	Cast member	With Oh Ha-young & Song Hae-na [ko]

Theater

Year	Title	Role
2007–2008	Clumsy People	Yoo Hwa-yi

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result
2005	KBS Drama Awards	Best Couple Award with Jae Hee	Sassy Girl Chun-hyang	Won
	KBS Drama Awards	Popularity Award, Actress	Sassy Girl Chun-hyang	Won
2007	Korea Best Dresser of the Year Awards	Recipient	—	Won
2008	Asia Model Awards	Model Star Award	—	Won
	Grand Bell Awards	Best New Actress	Love Now	Nominated
2009	Andre Kim Best Star Awards	Female Star Award	—	Won
2010	Asia Model Awards	Model Star Award	—	Won
2011	CETV Awards	Top 10 Asian Stars		Won
	Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards	2011's Most Stylish Actress	—	Won
	China Trend Awards	Shining Artist	—	Won
	TV Drama Awards Made in China[46]	Best Online Popularity		Won
2017	MBC Entertainment Awards	Rookie Awards in Variety	Wizard of Nowhere	Won
2018	MBC Drama Awards	Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Weekend Special Project	A Pledge to God	Nominated

References

1. Hong, Lucia (December 23, 2010). "Han Chae-young in China to film new movie". 10Asia. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
2. Chaeyoung retold the story on Sister's Slam Dunk 2
3. Hwang, Hye-jin (March 17, 2017). 한채영 "데뷔작 '가을동화' 망쳤다고 욕 많이 먹어, 창피했다" 눈물. Newsen. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
4. Yoon, Hee-seong (March 9, 2010). "Han Chae-young's Song Picks". 10Asia. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
5. "TNS Media Korea". Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
6. Cho, Chung-un (December 17, 2007). "Jang Jin's robbery-romance farce takes the Daehangno stage". The Korea Herald via Hancinema. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
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8. Garcia, Cathy Rose A. (March 9, 2009). "Han Chae-young Cast in Good Morning, President". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
9. Lee, Hyo-won (September 22, 2009). "Actor Jang Dong-kun Returns as President". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
10. Lee, Ji-hye (December 18, 2009). "Press Conference - Movie Girlfriends". 10Asia. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
11. "Actress Han Chae-young Cast in NZ Horror Flick". KBS Global. October 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013.
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19. Kim, Jessica (August 11, 2010). "Han Chae-young signs with U.S. agency CAA". 10Asia. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
20. Kim, Heidi (November 3, 2010). "Han Chae-young cast as heroine in Chinese film Big Deal". 10Asia. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
21. "Han Chae-young to Make Chinese Film Debut". The Chosun Ilbo. November 6, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
22. "巨額交易》終極預告發布 定檔期12月2日上映" Archived May 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese). Sina.com. November 17, 2011.
23. "Actress Han Chae Young in Talks to Join SM C&C". Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
24. 이제석 광고연구소. www.jeski.org. Archived from the original on May 17, 2002. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
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30. Ho, Stewart (January 17, 2013). "Advertisement Genius Lee Tae Baek Actors Shoot Drama Poster". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013.
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32. Sung, So-young (November 10, 2015). "Barbie Doll actress to host beauty TV show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
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34. Kim Jae-heun (September 13, 2017). "'Star Next Door' offers fun on Chuseok". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
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36. 한채영, 제이플랙스와 전속계약 체결…이준영・한상진 등과 한솥밥 [Han Chae-young signs an exclusive contract with J-Flex... Rice with Lee Joon-young and Han Sang-jin]. OSEN [ko]. December 19, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
37. 한채영 "연속극은 처음...고민 많았지만 도전해 보고 싶었다" (스캔들) [Han Chae-young "It's my first time on a soap opera… I had a lot of concerns, but I wanted to try it" (Scandal)] (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. June 17, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024 – via Naver.
38. "Korean 'Barbie Doll' To Take Her Vows". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 20, 2007. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
39. "Korean Actress Han Chae-Young Got Married". Anhui Daily Press Group. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
40. "Actress Han Chae-Young got married". China Daily. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
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42. "《不速之客》曝终极预告及海报 黎明耿乐爱恨缠斗 危机四伏 – Mtime时光网". news.mtime.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
43. Cheon Yoon-hye (June 17, 2021). 한채영, '욕망' 출연 확정..2년 반 만에 안방극장으로 화려한 컴백[공식]. Naver (in Korean). Herald POP. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
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45. Myeong-hyeon, Cho (May 2, 2024). 한채영, 2년 만에 안방극장 귀환…'스캔들'의 중심, 팜므파탈 된다 [Han Chae-young returns to the small screen after two years... The center of 'scandal' becomes a femme fatale]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
46. Sunwoo, Carla (December 28, 2011). "Actress Han Chae-young awarded in China". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links

• Han Chae-young at HanCinema
• Han Chae-young at IMDb