1. Moon Chae-won then starred in Brilliant Legacy, one of the top-rated Korean dramas of that year.
29 Facts About Moon Chae-won
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Moon Chae-won studied Western Painting at the Chugye University for the Arts but dropped out in 2006 to pursue acting.
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Moon Chae-won made her acting debut in 2007 in Mackerel Run, alongside fellow newcomer Lee Min-ho; they were among 60 actors who auditioned for the teen sitcom.
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Moon Chae-won's breakthrough came in 2008 period drama Painter of the Wind.
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Moon Chae-won's further raised her profile with Brilliant Legacy, in which she played a privileged girl who alternately antagonizes and pities her stepsister.
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In 2011, Moon Chae-won was offered the sole female role in War of the Arrows, an action blockbuster set during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea.
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Moon Chae-won 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 and instead survives by her wits and sheer will.
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Moon Chae-won later received Best New Actress recognition at the Grand Bell Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards for her performance.
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Moon Chae-won returned to the small screen in the Joseon-era drama The Princess' Man, about a fictional forbidden romance between the daughter of Grand Prince Suyang and the son of Kim Chongso, whose fathers were real-life political enemies.
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The Princess' Man was well-received critically and commercially, and though initially criticized for her acting, Moon Chae-won won viewers over as the series went on, eventually winning a Top Excellence Award at the year-end KBS Drama Awards.
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Moon Chae-won received a Best Dressed nod from the Korea Lifestyle Awards for giving a boost to the hanbok fashion industry via her two period projects, and was named Honorary Prosecutor by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
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In 2012, Moon Chae-won starred in the Lee Kyung-hee-penned melodrama The Innocent Man opposite Song Joong-ki.
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Moon Chae-won 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.
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Ratings for The Innocent Man topped its timeslot during its run and led to Moon Chae-won winning a Top Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards for the second year in a row.
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Moon Chae-won next starred in Awaiting, a short film directed by Kang Je-gyu.
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Moon Chae-won played a woman separated from her husband for sixty years by the division of North and South Korea.
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Moon Chae-won returned to the big screen in a 2015 romantic comedy directed by Park Jin-pyo, which reunited her with previous Brilliant Legacy costar Lee Seung-gi.
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The film passed the break-even point with 1.89 million viewers 3 weeks after being released and Moon Chae-won won the Producer's Choice Award at Bucheon International Film Festival.
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Moon Chae-won then starred opposite Yoo Yeon-seok in Mood of the Day, in which they play two strangers who meet on the KTX and spend 24 hours together in the unfamiliar city of Busan.
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Moon Chae-won then took on the leading female role in MBC's thriller Goodbye Mr Black in 2016, her first television series in three years.
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In 2017, Moon Chae-won was cast in the Korean adaption of the American crime drama Criminal Minds.
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In 2018, Moon Chae-won starred in the romantic fantasy drama Tale of Fairy.
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In 2020, Moon Chae-won was cast in the thriller melodrama Flower of Evil, reuniting with Criminal Minds co-star Lee Joon-gi.
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In 2021, Moon Chae-won joined the cast of the comedy film No Kids alongside Kwon Sang-woo.
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Later in November 2021, Moon Chae-won signed with YNK Entertainment after the expiration of her contract with the original agency.
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In December 2021, Moon Chae-won participated in Korea's first audio drama Floor with Lee Je-hoon and Jeong Jun-ha.
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In 2023, Moon Chae-won 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.
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In March 2025, Moon Chae-won signed with new agency Blitzway Studios.
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In January 2012, Moon Chae-won was appointed as an honorary prosecutor by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for building social reputation and trust with the public, alongside Lee Min-ho.