Kim Ji-won began her career as a backup singer and a commercial model before transitioning into acting. She made her official acting debut as the heroine in director Jang Jin’s melodrama film Romantic Heaven in 2011. Her career quickly picked up after she joined the popular MBC sitcom High Kick: Counterattack of the Short Legs. In 2013, she played an haughty heiress in the hit SBS series Heirs, which won her the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2016, she reached another milestone in her career when she became part of the main cast of KBS2’s top-rating series Descended From the Sun. Her work in the drama earned her several recognitions, including Best New Actress and an Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards. In 2017, she bagged her first leading role in the KBS2 series Fight My Way, where she was paired with Park Seo-joon. She took home another Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards for her performance in the series. In 2019, she starred in the tvN historical fantasy Arthdal Chronicles, which served as her reunion project with Song Joong-ki. In 2020, she acted alongside Ji Chang-wook in KakaoTV’s original drama series Lovestruck in the City.

Kim Ji-won graduated from Paekahm High School and then entered Dongguk University’s theater department.