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Lee Jin-uk Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth16 September 1981

Age41 Years

BirthplaceCheongju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea

ProfessionActor

NationalitySouth Korean

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyThree elder sisters

Lee Jin-uk Biography

South Korean actor Lee Jin-uk, born 16 September 1981 in Cheongju, built a career that began in modeling and expanded into film, television and web series.

Early life and background

Lee Jin-uk was born on 16 September 1981 in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. He studied environmental engineering at Cheongju University. Raised in his hometown, he has three elder sisters. Physically, he stands around 183 cm (6 feet) tall and has black hair and black eyes.

Career

Lee began his career as a model before transitioning into acting. His on-screen debut was in the 2000 film General Hospital The Movie: A Thousand Days’ where he played Choi Yoon-seok. He continued modeling and in 2003 appeared in an advertisement for a Panasonic razor. Over the following years he appeared across multiple formats: short films, television series, feature films, music videos and web series.

On television, early acting credits include an appearance in MBC Best Theater – Bad Girl (2004). He gained broader recognition with roles in popular dramas such as the 2008 romance series Glass Castle, in which he portrayed Kim Joon-sung. In 2013 he starred as Park Sun-woo, a news anchor, in the sci-fi romance series Nine. Other television credits listed include The Three Musketeers (2014), The Time We Were Not in Love (2015), and Voice (2018).

In film, Lee has taken supporting and lead roles. He appeared as Han Seung-woo, a TV music producer, in the 2014 film Miss Granny. In 2016 he played the lead role of Kim Gun-woo, a detective, in the romantic thriller Time Renegades. His filmography also includes The Beauty Inside (2015), A Tiger in Winter (2018), and A Year-End Medley (2021).

Lee expanded into digital platforms as well, appearing in the Netflix web series Sweet Home (2020) as Pyeon Sang-wook. In 2022 he played the main character Seo Jun-hyung in the KakaoTV web series Welcome to Wedding Hell. He has also taken part in variety television, with appearances on shows such as I Love Broadway (2007), Running Man (2020), The Game Caterers (2021), and DoReMi Market (2021).

Throughout his career he has been recognized with industry awards. Notable honors include a New Star Award at the 2006 SBS Drama Awards for his work in Alone in Love and Smile Again; a 20’s Drama Star – Male award at the 2013 Mnet 20’s Choice Awards for Nine; and a Grand Prize at the Korea Film Actors Association Awards in 2016 for Time Renegades.

Public profile

Lee Jin-uk has maintained a visible public life, appearing on magazine covers such as Esquire in 2016. He began his public career in part through music videos, featuring in Jung Jae-hyung’s “In Case of My Love” (2002) and later videos including Lim Hyung-joo’s “Misty Moon” (2004), Ahn Jae-wook’s “Doo roo roo” (2005) and Shin Seung-hun’s “My Love” (2009).

Personal interests and image

Off screen, Lee enjoys reading, listening to music and cooking. Reports note that he is a capable cook and that friends often praise his dishes, especially his curry. He is a sneaker enthusiast with a large collection of Nike shoes. He also has a tattoo on his left wrist featuring two small triangles, one red and one green. Lee prefers non-vegetarian food and has said in interviews that he avoids watching horror films because they frighten him.

His early modeling work included endorsements and campaigns for brands such as Audi and Ralph Lauren, and he has been associated with other commercial projects across his career. He is unmarried and has been linked publicly in the past with actresses in reported relationships. His hometown remains Cheongju.

Controversy and legal matters

In 2016 Lee faced an accusation of sexual assault. He responded by filing a lawsuit challenging the allegation. Court proceedings over the matter continued across subsequent years; the legal record includes a 2016 clearing of related charges, further developments in 2017 and an appellate decision in February 2018 that addressed the question of a false accusation and imposed a suspended sentence on the accuser.

Latest updates

Most recently, Lee continued to work across both film and streaming projects, with credits on Netflix’s Sweet Home (2020) and the KakaoTV series Welcome to Wedding Hell (2022). He remains active in South Korean film and television productions.
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Recent Work

Sweet Home

Netflix web series in which he played Pyeon Sang-wook

2020
Welcome to Wedding Hell

KakaoTV web series in which he played the main character Seo Jun-hyung

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Debut in General Hospital The Movie: A Thousand Days’ (2000)
  2. Recognized for role in Glass Castle (2008)
  3. Lead in Time Renegades (2016) and Grand Prize at the Korea Film Actors Association Awards
  4. Starred in Nine (2013) and received Mnet 20’s Choice Award
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Lee Jin-uk born?

16 September 1981

What is Lee Jin-uk known for?

Actor

What is Lee Jin-uk’s marital status?

Unmarried