Rise to Stardom

Ha Ji-won became known through the KBS drama ‘School 2’, which was called the gateway to stardom in the late 1990s. In 2003, she met the work of her life, MBC’s ‘Damo’.

She took on the role of Jang Chae-ok, a female detective from the Left Police Agency, and showcased diverse and deep emotional acting as well as high-difficulty action acting, solidifying her position as a top actress representing South Korea.

Action Queen

After that, she continued to perform action scenes in films such as ‘Detective Duelist’, ‘Miracle on 1st Street’, ‘Sector 7’, ‘Korea’, and ‘The Three Musketeers’, and emerged as the undisputed best action queen of South Korea.

Challenges and Recovery

Thanks to this, she even took on the role of a stuntwoman in another of her representative works, the SBS drama ‘Secret Garden’. However, the action acting was not easy and it is said that there were countless accidents.

When filming a bike riding scene, my leg was completely caught in the motorcycle and fractured, and I also broke my neck while practicing falling. Fortunately, the pieces of my neck were broken straight away without touching any nerves.

Massage Road

It is said that Ha Ji-won chose massage along with hospital treatment for her body’s speedy recovery. She is a self-proclaimed ‘massage lover’ who still receives a massage at least once a week.

Currently, she is meeting viewers through the MBC road trip documentary ‘Massage Road’, which contains a journey to find hidden massage masters in five countries including Thailand, India, Sweden, Finland, and the United States, together with junior actor Ahn Jae-hong and announcer Kim Dae-ho.

In the documentary, which was produced as a four-part series, Ha Ji-won conveyed vicarious healing to viewers by describing how she felt ‘reborn’ after receiving a massage in Thailand. There is much anticipation and curiosity about what the rest of her journey will be like.