Moon So-ri (Korean: 문소리; born July 2, 1974) is a South Korean actress and filmmaker whose work encompasses film, television, and theater. She has also contributed as a voice actress and narrator in films.
Moon is recognized for her early collaborations with influential auteur directors, which led to significant international recognition. Her feature film debut was in Lee Chang-dong's Peppermint Candy (1999). Her subsequent role in Lee Chang-dong's Oasis (2002) served as a career breakthrough; her performance as a woman with cerebral palsy garnered the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 59th Venice International Film Festival, making her the second South Korean to achieve this award.
Further critical recognition, both domestically and internationally, was secured with her role in Im Sang-soo's A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003). Her filmography includes multiple collaborations with director Hong Sang-soo, notably in Like You Know It All (2009), Ha Ha Ha (2010), and In Another Country (2012). She also acted a supporting role in Park Chan-wook's critically successful film The Handmaiden (2016). More recent film credits include the critically praised Three Sisters (2020) and the Netflix production Seoul Vibe (2022).
Moon expanded her professional career by moving into filmmaking as a director and screenwriter. Her feature-length directorial debut was the comedy-drama The Running Actress (2017). This film is an omnibus work that integrates three short films she created while enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at Chung-Ang University. The Running Actress is a self-deprecatory, fictionalized film, written by and starring Moon herself, that addresses the challenges and public scrutiny of women in the Korean film industry. The film premiered internationally at various festivals, establishing her as a filmmaker. She was also credited as a producer for the critically acclaimed film Three Sisters (2020), in which she also starred.
Moon has maintained a consistent, though less frequent, presence in television since her debut in the historical drama The Legend (2007). Her television roles typically feature her in professional or mature characterizations, such as a career woman navigating family life in All About My Family (2008–2009) and the head of neurosurgery, Oh Se-hwa, in the medical drama Life (2018), as well as the ambitious team leader Dang Ja-young in the workplace series On the Verge of Insanity (2021). In recent years, she has increased her involvement with streaming platforms, starring in the Netflix original series The School Nurse Files (2020). She later led the political drama Queenmaker (2023) alongside Kim Hee-ae. Her most recent projects include a key role in the second season of Hellbound (2024) and the portrayal of middle-aged Ae-sun in the period series When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025).
Documentary +Appearances in documentary Year Title Role Notes 2005 The Nine Lives of Korean Cinema Herself 2011 Ari Ari the Korean Cinema Herself 2014 Kim Geum-hwa (middle age)
Film As actress +Acting credits in film Year Title Role Notes 1998 The Power Of Love Short film 1999 Peppermint Candy Yun Sun-im 2000 Black CutShort film 2001 To the Spring Mountain 2002 Oasis Han Gong-ju 2003 A Good Lawyer's Wife Eun Ho-jung 2004 The President's BarberKim Min-ja2005 Bravo, My Life!Kim Mal-soon Sa-kwaHyun-jung 2006Bewitching AttractionCho Eun-sook"Korean Film List 2006: Box Office Admission Results" . Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 15 October 2013.Family TiesLee Mi-ra 2008Forever the MomentHan Mi-sookDarcy Paquet, Forever the Moment review , Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved on April 21, 2008.2009Take Action, Now or Never!Short film Song Hee-jung The End Short film 2010 A Little PondRefugeeCameo Ha Ha HaWang Seong-ok The HousemaidObstetricianCameo 2012 In Another Country Geum-hee 2013 An Ethics Lesson Kim Sun-hwa The Spy: Undercover Operation Young-hee Venice 70: Future Reloaded 2014 Venus Talk Jo Mi-yeon Hill of Freedom Young-sun The Actress So-ri Short film Phantoms of the Archive 2015 The Running Actress So-ri The Best Director So-ri Accompany Love and... Hospital janitor 2016 The Handmaiden Hideko's aunt Cameo Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned Dr. Min 2017 The Mayor Jung Jae-yi The Running ActressSo-ri 2018 Little Forest Hye-won's mother Ode to the Goose Song-hyun 2019 Juror 8 Kim Joon-gyeom Lee Kyeong-jin Short film 2021 Three Sisters Mi-yeon2022 I Want to Know Your Parents Gun-woo's mother Seoul Vibe Kang In-sook
As voice actress +Acting credits as voice actress Year Title Role Notes 2007My Heart Is Not Broken YetNarratorDocumentary 2009 Like You Know It All Jecheon – Seoul woman Cameo 2011 Leafie, A Hen into the Wild Leafie / Yipsak / Sprout / Dais Animated film 2017 1987: When the Day Comes Woman on the P.A system Cameo 2018 The Underdog Animated film
As filmmaker +Filmmaking credis Year Title Role Notes 2014 The Actressdirector, screenwriter, and producer19th Busan International Film Festival – Short Film Showcase 2015 The Running ActressJeonju International Film Festival – Korea Cinemascape for Shorts The Best Director20th Busan International Film Festival – Short Film Showcase 2017 The Running ActressFeature-length film (compilation of three shorts) 2021 Three Sisters producer Premiere at 25th Busan International Film Festival
Television series +Acting credits in series Year Title Role Notes 2007 The Legend Seo Ki-ha Television debut 2008–2009 Lee Hwang 2013 Drama Festival:"" Jeong-boon One-act drama 2016 The Legend of the Blue Sea Ahn Jin-joo 2018 Life Oh Se-hwa 2020 SF8 Ga Hye-ra Episode: "Empty Body" The School Nurse Files Hwa-soo Special appearance 2021 On the Verge of Insanity Dang Ja-young 2023 Queenmaker Oh Kyung-sook Goo Yi-jeong 2024 Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born Seo Yong-rye / Choi Gong-seo Special appearance (episode 1, 3–5) Hellbound Lee Su-gyeong Season 2 2025 When Life Gives You TangerinesOh Ae-sun (Middle Age) Oh My Ghost ClientsMoon Jung-eun Cameo (episode 9–10) Our Movie Lee Da-eum's mother Cameo (episode 2, 7, 12) 2026 The Apartment Job Jang Suk-jin
Television shows +Appearances in television shows Year Title Role Notes 2014 Magic Eye Host with Lee Hyo-ri and Hong Jin-kyung 2022 Off the Grid Main Cast 2022 Spectator +: Short Buster Host TVING
Music videos +Acting credit in music videoYearTitleArtist(s)2003"Flower of Tears" Jung Jae-il
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