Han Chae-young

 ( South Korean Film Actresses ) 

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.

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. Later that year she released her clothing line Rachel Han's (taken from her American name), produced in conjunction with online retailer G-Market.

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. The ₩10 billion-budget action-romance series is based on the 1999 comic book of the same title by manhwa writer Park Bong-seong, and achieved higher than average ratings during its run.

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. The English-speaking actress signed with agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that same year.

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. "巨額交易》終極預告發布 定檔期12月2日上映" (in Chinese). Sina.com. November 17, 2011. 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.

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. The series also reunited Han with Jo Hyun-jae who previously worked together in the 2005 TV series Only You. Her next series was Bel Ami, playing the glamorous, successful woman that the main character (played by Jang Keun-suk) pines after. 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. 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.

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.

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.

In December 2022, Han signed with new agency J-Flex Entertainment.

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.