Biography of Lee Jung-jin

Lee Jung-jin is a South Korean model and actor. He is popular for his performances in ‘Link’ in 2011, ‘Pieta’ in 2012 and ‘Hundred Year Inheritance’ in 2013.

Early Life and Education 

Lee Jung-jin was born on 25 May 1978 in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated in Horticulture from Konkuk University. Later, he also completed his degree from the Department of Drama and Film at Hanyang University.

Career and Achievements 

South Korean actor Lee Jung-jin worked as a fashion model ahead of his acting career. He was luckily found by the CEO of the talent agency Star J Entertainment Jeong Young-beom while he was working as a model. Lee Jung-jin made his acting debut with a sitcom, ‘Soonpoong Clinic’ in 1998, with 340 episodes.

During Jung-jin’s initial career days, he played minor supporting roles in several television dramas. He debuted in the film as a supporting cast in a South Korean slasher film, ‘Bloody Beach’ in 2000, starring Kim Hyun-jung and Jae Hee. After his debut, Jung-jin had to wait almost four years to play a lead role in a film or a television series. In 2002, he appeared in the lead role in a television series, ‘Trio’, produced by MBC, with a total of 17 episodes. The same year, he played a heroic role in the film, ‘Bet On My Disco’, starring along with actors Han Chae-young, Im Chang-jung and Yang Dong-geun.

In 2004, Jung-jin was seen in the main role in a South Korean television series, ‘April Kiss’, starring alongside Soo-ae, Jo Han-sun and So Yi-hyun. It was aired on KBS from 21 April 2004 to 8 July 2004. During the same year, Jung-jin again played a lead role in a South Korean drama film, ‘Once Upon a Time in High School’, written and directed by Yoo-ha. Actors, Kwon Sang-woo and Han Ga-in were also seen in the main roles in the film.

Jung-jin appeared in two South Korean films in 2005. ‘Mapado’, directed by Choo Chang-min, starring Lee Moon-sik, Yeo Woon-kye, Kim Soo-mi and Lee Jung-jin in the lead roles was released on 10 March 2005. His second film in the same year was a Hong Kong film, ‘Seoul Raiders’, which is a sequel to the 2000 film, Tokyo Raiders’. Jung-jin played a lead role in the television series, ‘Love Story in Harvard’, starring along with Kim Rae-won and Kim Tae-hee in the major roles. The series aired from 22 November 2004 to 11 January 2005 for 16 episodes.

In 2007, Jung-jin appeared in a television series, ‘Two Outs in the Ninth Inning’, directed by Han Chul-soo. He was spotted in the main role with other actors Soo Ae, Lee Tae-sung and Hwang Ji-hyun. Next year, Lee Jung-jin starred opposite Lee Yu-ri in the television series, ‘Don’t Cry My Love’. The family South Korean drama, directed by Kim Sa-hyun and Lee Dong-yoon, was aired on MBC from 17 November 2008 to 22 May 2009 for 132 episodes.

Between 2009 and 2011, Jung-jin was a cast member for the famous Korean reality-variety show ‘Qualifications of Men’ on KBS2. He played the role of a detective, Do-soo, in a 2010 South Korean action television series, ‘The Fugitive: Plan B’, starring Rain and Lee Na-young with 20 episodes. Jung-jin gained popularity with two films, ‘Wonderful Radio’ by Kwon Chil-in and ‘Pieta’ written and directed by Kim Ki-duk in 2012. He received the ‘Korean Fim Actors’ Association’ and ‘Okgwan Order of Cultural Merit Awards’ for his impeccable performance in the latter film.

In 2013, Jung-jin played a lead role starring opposite Eugene in a television series, ‘A Hundred Year Legacy’, directed by Joo Sung-woo. It is considered one of the notable series from the acting career of Jung-jin and the series won the 2013 ‘MBC Drama Awards’.

In the 2014 South Korean television series, ‘Temptation’, directed by Park Young-soo, Lee Jung-jin appeared in the main role along with Kwon Sang-woo, Choi Ji-woo and Park Ha-sun. The series was aired on SBS with 20 episodes from 14 July 2014 to 16 September 2014.

Jung-jin was a part of the 2016 South Korean action film, ‘Duel: Final Round’, directed by Shin Jai-ho. In 2020, he played a main role in the television series, ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’, which premiered on SBS TV and Netflix on 17 April 2020.

The upcoming television series of Jung-jin is Kang Ho-joong’s, ‘Queen of the Mask’. It is scheduled to premiere on Channel A on 24 April 2023.