Lee Jung-jae Biography Lee Jung-jae born December 15, 1972 is a prominent South Korean actor and businessman, regarded as one of the country’s most successful actors. He has earned numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics’ Choice Television Award, and six Baeksang Arts Awards, along with nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Gotham Award. In addition to his acting career, Lee is a businessman, having launched a chain of restaurants in Seoul and founded several companies, including the development firm Seorim C&D. He co-owns several of his businesses with fellow actor and close friend Jung Woo-sung.
Lee Jung-jae Biography
In addition to his success in film and television, Jung-Jae Lee has also established himself as a highly successful fashion model. Just one year after his television debut in 1993, Lee made his film debut in a feature directed by Bae Chang-ho. His breakthrough role came in late 1998 with the award-winning film An Affair directed by E-J Yong. This was followed by another major success in City of the Rising Sun, where his performance earned him the Best Actor award at the domestic Chungryong Awards. In 2000, Lee starred in the Korean-Japanese co-production Asako in Ruby Shoes, and later found considerable popularity in the melodrama Last Present, where he was cast alongside Lee Young-ae. He also appeared in the action/mystery/drama The Last Witness, directed by Bae Chang-ho.
Lee Jung-jae Biography Details
| Born | December 15, 1972 (age 52) Seoul, South Korea |
| Education | Dongguk University (MA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Agents | · Artist Company
· Creative Artists Agency |
| Partner | Im Se-ryung [ko] (2015–present) |
| Honours | Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2022) |
| Category | Singers Bio |
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About Lee Jung-jae
Lee Jung-jae is a South Korean actor and businessman. Considered one of South Korea’s most successful actors, he has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild …
- Born: 15 December 1972 (age 52 years), Seoul, South Korea
- Height: 8 m
- Awards: Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Actor · See more
- Parents: Lee Chul-seong
- Education: Dongguk University (MA)
- Hangul: 이정재
Early Life and Education
Lee was born in Jung District, Seoul, on December 15, 1972. He attended Dongguk University and earned a master’s degree from the university’s Department of Theater & Film Art in the Graduate School of Cultural Arts in August 2008. That same year, he made his stage debut in the play Hamlet in Water, performing the titular role for four days at his alma mater’s Lee Hae-rang Theater.
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Lee Jung-jae’s Net Worth
Lee Jung-jae is a South Korean actor and former model with a net worth of $12 million. Born on December 15, 1972, in Seoul, South Korea, he gained international recognition for his role as Seong Gi-hun in the Netflix series Squid Game (2021-present). With over 40 acting credits to his name, Lee has starred in numerous films, including Il Mare (2000), The Housemaid (2010), New World (2013), and Deliver Us from Evil (2020), as well as the television series Sandglass (1995) and Chief of Staff (2019).
Bio/Wiki
| Nickname | JJ |
| Profession(s) | Actor, Model, Producer, Director & Entrepreneur |
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Physical Stats & More
| Height | in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11” |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Career
| Agencies | • C-JeS Entertainment (2013-2016) Artist Company (since 2016) |
| Debut | Acting TV (South Korean): Dinosaur Teacher (1993) as ‘Lee Jung-jae’ Feature Film (South Korean): The Young Man (1994) as ‘Lee Han’ Short Film (South Korean): MOB 2025 (2001) as ‘Dust’ Feature Film (Chinese): Tik Tok (2016) as ‘Jiang Cheng-jun’ Other Works Feature Film (as a producer): Namsan (South Korean) Feature Film (as a director): Hunt (2021; South Korean) (he also produced the film |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | Blue Dragon Film Awards • Best Leading Actor for ‘Assassination’ in 2015 Supporting Actor for ‘The Face Reader’ in 2013 • Best Leading Actor for ‘City of the Rising Sun’ in 1999 Best New Actor for ‘The Young Man’ in 1995 Baeksang Arts Awards • InStyle Fashionista Award in 2015 Best Supporting Actor (Film) for ‘The Face Reader’ in 2014 • Most Popular Actor (Film) for ‘City of the Rising Sun’ in 1999 Most Popular Actor for the film ‘Firebird’ in 1997 • Best New Actor (TV) for ‘Sandglass’ in 1995 Grand Bell Awards Popularity Award for the film ‘The Face Reader’ in 2013 • Best Actor for the film ‘Typhoon’ in 2006 Best New Actor for the film ‘The Young Man’ in 1995 Style Icon Awards • Bonsang in 2016 Style Icon Actor in 2008 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards • CJ CGV Star Award for ‘New World’ and ‘The Face Reader’ in 2013 Best Actor for ‘City of the Rising Sun’ in 1999 • Best New Actor for ‘The Young Man’ in 1995 Other Awards, Honors & AchievementsAsia Artist Award — Grand Prize (Daesang) – Film for ‘Deliver Us from Evil’ in 2020 • Elle Style Award for Super Icon (Male) in 2018 Ranked 24 on Forbes’ Korea Power Celebrity list in 2016 • Busan International Film Festival – Actor of the Year in 2015 • Buil Film Award for Best Actor for ‘Assassination’ in 2015 Marie Claire Asia Star Award for Actor of the Year for ‘Assassination’ in 2015 • KOFRA Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for ‘The Face Reader’ in 2014 Fantasporto Director’s Week – Award for the Best Actor for ‘The Housemaid’ in 2011 • Mnet 20’s Choice Award for Most Influential Star in 2010 Golden Cinematography Award for Best Actor for ‘Typhoon’ in 2006 • Verona Love Screens Film Festival – Award for the Best Actor ‘Asako in Ruby Shoes’ in 2002 38th Savings Day – Prime Minister’s Commendation in 2001 • SBS Drama Award for Best New Actor for ‘Sandglass’ in 1995 |
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Personal Life
| Date of Birth | December 15, 1972 (Friday) |
| Age (as of 2025) | 52 Years |
| Birthplace | Seoul, South Korea |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Autograph | |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Hometown | Seoul, South Korea |
| School | Sungui Elementary School, Gwangju Cheongdam Middle School, Seoul Hyundai Senior High School, Seoul |
| College/University | Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Film Art • Master’s degree in Theater and Film Art |
| Religion/Religious Views | Protestant Christian |
| Blood Group | B |
| Controversies | • DUI Charges Lee Jung-jae was arrested in 1999 on the charges of driving under the influence (DUI) after he slammed his BMW into a car in the adjacent lane. He was arrested on DUI charges again in 2002 by the Seoul Gangnam Police after he drunk drove in front of the Cheongdam Elementary School in Seoul. His driving licence was suspended due to his actions. • Accusations of Outing of his Friend In 2013, he was accused of outing his friend after an interview he gave to the Vogue Korea was published. In the interview, referring to his friend as ‘Y,’ he stated, “A while ago, Y left for heaven. [Before he died,] I said to Y, ‘You should stop being gay. Haven’t you been that way enough?’ But it was not easy.” In the interview, Vogue hinted ‘Y’ as South Korean creative director in fashion and show business Woo Jong-wan as Lee Jung-jae had said that Y committed suicide. Woo Jong-wan, a good friend of Jung-jae, committed suicide at his home in Seoul on September 15, 2012. Even though there were rumours of Lee Jung-jae being a gay, he never confessed to being a gay publicly. As a result of the interview, Lee faced huge criticism from bloggers for outing his dead friend. However, Vogue soon removed the excerpts from the interview posted online and called it a misunderstanding on their official Twitter account. • Under Probe in a Fraudulent Bond Issuance Case In 2015, Jung-jae and Tongyang Group’s Vice Chairwoman Lee Hye-kyung were under investigation in an alleged fraudulent bond issuance case. The victims (investors) of the fraud case and members of the civic group Spec Watch Korea filed a complaint against the two with the prosecution, claiming Lee Hye-kyung to have provided 16 billion Won to Jung-jae’s company Seorim C&D in 2009 for developing a luxury apartment project (called La Terrace) in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, where Tongyang Inc. (a subsidiary of Tongyang Group) was a contractor. The victims made an argument that the funds they provided for La Terrace was one of the reasons for Tongyang’s downfall, as the project was unable to recover the investments. All of the allegations on Jung-jae were denied by Lee Jung-jae’s agency. |
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Relationships & More
| Marital Status | Unmarried
Note: In a past interview, he confessed that because of various dating rumours, he didn’t wish to get married. He said, |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | • Kim Min-hee (South Korean actress) (2003-2006) • Lim Se-ryeong (South Korean Entrepreneur) |
Family
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents | Father- Lee Chul-seong Mother- Name not known |
| Siblings | He has an elder brother. |
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Favourites
| Artist(s) | On Kawara (Conceptual), Jenny Holzer (Neo-Conceptual), Park Jina, Lee Wan, Chosil Kil |
| Sculptor | Fred Sandback |
Style Quotient
| Car Collection | He owns a BMW. |
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Money Factor
| Salary (approx.) | 300 million Won (about $257.098K) per episode in The Kdrama ‘Squid Game’ (2021), amounting to $23.02 million for the show |
| Assets/Properties | • La Terrace: He owns an eighteen-floor (sixteen floors above the ground and three floors below the ground) luxury residential complex in Samseong-dong called La Terrace. He designed the interior of the villa. The price of an apartment in the building ranges between 1.6 billion and 5 billion won. Jung-jae, with his neighbour as Jung Woo-sung (South Korean actor and his best friend), lives on the combined fifteenth and sixteenth floors in the building. • An Apartment in Cheongdam-dong: Since 1999, he owns an apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, which was priced between 1.1 billion won and 1.2 billion won (as of 2015). • A building in Sinsa-Dong: In 2011, he purchased a three-floored building in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, which included the 271.1 square meters, at 4.75 billion won. In 2020, Jung-jae sold the building, priced at 8.2 billion, earning a profit of 3.45 billion won. luxury villa in Samseong |