# Kim Ah-joong

Kim Ah-joong (born October 16, 1982) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She is best known for playing the main character in the romantic comedy 200 Pounds Beauty.

## Education

Kim graduated from Korea University with a master's degree in journalism.

## Career

Kim made her film debut in the romance film When Romance Meets Destiny (2005). She appeared in several commercials and landed her first leading role in the daily soap opera Bizarre Bunch.
Her breakthrough came in the comedy film 200 Pounds Beauty, where she played an overweight girl who undergoes a cosmetic surgery makeover to become a pop sensation. She was awarded the Best Actress award at the 2007 Grand Bell Awards. She released soundtracks of the film, "Beautiful Girl" and the Korean version of the song "Maria". "Beautiful Girl" won Digital Music Awards' "Song of the Month" by Cyworld.
Kim returned to acting three years later, starring alongside Hwang Jung-min in the romantic comedy The Accidental Couple. In 2010, Kim was cast in a U.S.-Chinese film project Amazing, a sci-fi film about the development of a virtual-reality basketball game. The same year, she was cast in the medical drama Sign by Kim Eun-hee, playing a forensic scientist.
In September 2011, Kim was found guilty of tax evasion. She also had to pay an additional $600,000 fine. She and her management at the time parted ways due to the verdict. Due to this scandal she was banned from TV work in South Korea from late 2011 to late 2014, and she focused on films. In December 2012, Kim co-starred with Ji Sung in the romantic comedy film My PS Partner. This was followed by another romantic comedy film Steal My Heart in 2013.
She returned to TV in the legal drama Punch, where she received positive reviews for her portrayal of a prosecutor. In 2016, Kim starred in the crime thriller Wanted. In 2017, she starred in the time-slip romantic comedy Live Up to Your Name alongside Kim Nam-gil.
In 2018, Kim was cast in the film adaptation of OCN's crime drama Bad Guys.
In 2022, she starred in science fiction thriller Grid as a detective.

## Ambassador roles

* 2009: Goodwill Ambassador of FranceExpress
* 2009: 46th Savings Day: Prime Minister Commendation
* 2015: Ambassador for 17th Seoul International Women's Film Festival

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | When Romance Meets Destiny | Lee Kyung-jae | |
| 2006 | 200 Pounds Beauty | Kang Han-na / Jenny | |
| 2009 | Present | Spy W | Short film |
| 2010 | Foxy Festival | Soo-jung | Cameo |
| 2012 | My PS Partner | Yoon-jung | |
| 2013 | Catch Me | Yoon Jin-sook / Lee Sook-ja | |
| 2013 | Amazing | Erin | |
| 2017 | The King | Sang-hee | |
| 2019 | The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos | Kwak No-soon | |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2004 | Emperor of the Sea | Ha Jin |
| 2005 | Our Attitude to Prepare Parting | Seo Hee-won |
| 2005 | Bizarre Bunch | Kim Jong-nam |
| 2009 | The Accidental Couple | Han Ji-soo |
| 2011 | Sign | Go Da-kyung |
| 2014 | Punch | Shin Ha-Gyung |
| 2016 | Wanted | Jung Hye-in |
| 2017 | Live Up to Your Name | Choi Yeon-kyung |
| 2022 | Grid | Jeong Sae-byeok |

### Music video

* Shin Hye-sung – Same thought
* Youme – 여자라서 하지 못한 말

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2005 | Dong-A TV Fashion-Beauty Awards | Best Dresser | — | Won |
| 2005 | MBC Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Our Attitude to Prepare Parting | Nominated |
| 2005 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Bizarre Bunch | Won |
| 2006 | 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actress | When Romance Meets Destiny | Nominated |
| 2006 | 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actress | When Romance Meets Destiny | Won |
| 2006 | 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Actress | When Romance Meets Destiny | Nominated |
| 2007 | 6th Cyworld Digital Music Awards | Song of the Month | "Beautiful Girl" | Won |
| 2007 | 2nd Asia Model Awards | Popular Star Award | — | Won |
| 2007 | 30th Golden Cinematography Awards | Best New Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 4th Max Movie Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 44th Grand Bell Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 44th Grand Bell Awards | Popularity Award | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 1st Mnet 20's Choice Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 15th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 3rd Premiere Magazine's Rising Star Awards | Rising Star | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 1st Korea Movie Star Awards | Rookie Award | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 1st Korea Movie Star Awards | Best Couple Award with Joo Jin-mo | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 45th Motion Pictures Day | Most Promising Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Nominated |
| 2007 | 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Popular Star Award | 200 Pounds Beauty | Won |
| 2007 | 6th Korean Film Awards | Best Actress | 200 Pounds Beauty | Nominated |
| 2007 | 22nd Golden Disc Awards | Ceci Special Award | "Beautiful Girl" | Won |
| 2007 | Elle Style Award Asia | Hot Face Award | — | Won |
| 2009 | 3rd André Kim Best Star Award | Female Star Award | — | Won |
| 2009 | 7th Korea Lifestyle Awards | Best Dresser Award | — | Won |
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | The Accidental Couple | Won |
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards | Netizen Award, Actress | The Accidental Couple | Nominated |
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award with Hwang Jung-min | The Accidental Couple | Nominated |
| 2011 | 47th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Sign | Nominated |
| 2011 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | Sign | Nominated |
| 2011 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award with Park Shin-yang | Sign | Nominated |
| 2015 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Special | Punch | Nominated |
| 2015 | SBS Drama Awards | Best Couple Award with Kim Rae-won | Punch | Nominated |
| 2016 | 5th APAN Star Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Wanted | Nominated |
| 2017 | 1st The Seoul Awards | Best Actress (TV) | Live Up to Your Name | Nominated |
| 2019 | 8th Korea Best Star Awards | Best Actress | The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos | Won |