# Lee Jong-suk (이종석)
**Lee Jong-suk** (이종석; hanja 李鐘奭, born 1989 in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province) is a South Korean actor and former fashion model who moved from runway work to television leads across the 2010s, with hits including *I Can Hear Your Voice*, *[Pinocchio](https://www.edgepedia.org/pinocchio-2014-tv-series)*, *W*, and *[Big Mouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-mouth-south-korean-tv-series)*.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912) • [2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) • [3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province; height 186 cm, weight 66 kg, blood type A[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912) |
| Model debut | 2005, as the youngest male model at Seoul Collection, at age 15 or 16 depending on the source[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) • [2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) |
| Acting debut | 2010, SBS drama *Prosecutor Princess*; attention as Sun in *Secret Garden*[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) |
| Breakthrough | *School 2013* (2012); Best New Actor at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) |
| Signature drama | *I Can Hear Your Voice* (2013), a peak viewership rating of 24.1% in South Korea[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) |
| Military service | Enlisted February 2019, discharged January 2021; returned to acting in 2022[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) |
| Education | Konkuk University, School of Film and Art; entered 2011 as a freshman and served as an honorary ambassador[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912) • [3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) |
## Early life, education and modeling debut
Lee was born in 1989 in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) KBS dates his fashion-model debut to 2005, at age 16, while the Japanese film database Eiga.com gives age 15 and specifies the Seoul Collection runway, where he appeared as the youngest male model.[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) • [3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) He worked as a fashion model for several years before turning to acting.[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/)
His path briefly ran through music. The Korean-culture magazine K-PLAZA reports that he debuted as a model in his third year of middle school and was a former [SM Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/sm-entertainment) trainee who declined a planned debut as an idol; MyDramaList adds that he trained for three months as a rapper for a group called 'Real'.[5](https://entame.k-plaza.com/2013/03/lee-jong-suk.html) • [4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
KOFIC's English database states that he majored in Professional Motion Pictures Art at [Konkuk University](https://www.edgepedia.org/konkuk-university), entered as a freshman in 2011, and was appointed an honorary ambassador for the university; Eiga.com lists him as a graduate of the School of Film and Art.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912) • [3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/)
## Transition to acting and breakthrough (2010–2013)
**Television first.** Lee debuted in the 2010 SBS drama *Prosecutor Princess* and drew attention in the same period as the character Sun in *Secret Garden*; K-PLAZA's sequence continues with *High Kick 3* (MBC, 2011) and *School 2013* (KBS, 2012).[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) • [5](https://entame.k-plaza.com/2013/03/lee-jong-suk.html) *School 2013*, in which he played the lead role Ko Nam-sun, brought him Best New Actor at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards, and in 2013 he ranked fifth in Gallup Korea's survey 'Actors Who Lit Up 2013'.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
**Parallel film career.** While building television roles he appeared in supporting film parts as Choi Kyung-seop in *Korea* (2011) and Ji Seok-hyun in *R2B: Return to Base* (2012), then moved to lead roles in 2013: the son of the character Nae-gyeong in the Chuseok period hit *The Face Reader*, Woo-sang in *No Breathing*, and Kang Jong-gil in the 2014 teen film *[Hot Young Bloods](https://www.edgepedia.org/hot-young-bloods)*. KOFIC's English profile identifies *The Face Reader* as his first big theatrical audience.[6](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912) • [1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912)
## Television stardom (2013–2022)
The run of network lead roles that followed *School 2013* established Lee as a top-tier television actor. Eiga.com singles out *I Can Hear Your Voice* (2013), in which he played Park Su-ha, as the drama that recorded a peak viewership rating of 24.1% in South Korea, and lists *Pinocchio* (2014, as Choi Dal-po/Ki Ha-myung), *W* (2016, as Kang Chul), and *[While You Were Sleeping](https://www.edgepedia.org/while-you-were-sleeping-2017-tv-series)* (2017, as Jung Jae-chan) among his hits.[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) • [4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) He also led *[Romance Is a Bonus Book](https://www.edgepedia.org/romance-is-a-bonus-book)* (2019) as Cha Eun-ho.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
His 2022 return drama *Big Mouth* cast him as Park Chang-ho, a third-rate lawyer with a 10% win rate, in the MBC Friday–Saturday slot.[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248)
## Film career
KOFIC's Korean credit record, last updated February 25, 2025, confirms the shape of his film work: supporting roles in *Korea* (2011) and *R2B: Return to Base* (2012), lead roles in *The Face Reader*, *No Breathing*, and *Hot Young Bloods* (2013 onward), a lead as Kim Gwang-il in *V.I.P.* (2017), and a lead as Jeon Tae-seong in *Decibel* (2021).[6](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912) The same record lists special appearances as Jang in *[The Witch: Part 2. The Other One](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-witch-part-2-the-other-one)* and as Jak Nun in *[The Plot](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-plot-film)* (director Lee Yo-seob).[6](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912) KMDb, the Korean Film Archive database, lists him as an actor active in the 2010s and 2020s and corroborates the credits for *Seocho-dong* (2025), *The Witch Part 2* (2022), *The Plot*, *Decibel*, and *The Face Reader*, where it gives the character name as Jin-hyung against KOFIC's description of the Hanmyeong son.[7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00152319)
## Military service and return (2019–2022)
Lee enlisted for mandatory military service in February 2019 and was discharged in January 2021.[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) • [4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) He returned to acting the following year, in 2022, with *The Witch: Part 2. The Other One*, in which KBS describes his role as the ARC manager Jang tracking 'the girl', and the drama *Big Mouth*. KBS lists his agency at that time as A-MAN Project.[2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) • [3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/)
## Agencies
KOFIC's credit record, updated February 25, 2025, lists his affiliation as Wellmade Entertainment, while the National Library of Korea authority record associates him with A-MAN Project, and KBS's profile also gives A-MAN Project.[6](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912) • [8](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC2018C2143) • [2](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248) MyDramaList, a user-maintained database, records a longer sequence: [YG Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/yg-entertainment), then his own agency in partnership with YNK Entertainment, then HighZium Studio, and finally an announcement on January 3, 2024, that he had signed with Ace Factory.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
## What has changed since 2023
Two documented changes mark the post-2023 period. First, the January 3, 2024, move to Ace Factory.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) Second, a slate of new credits: the film *The Plot*, listed by KOFIC as a 2022 production but by MyDramaList as a 2024 release with Lee in a guest role, and the drama *Law and the City* (*Seocho-dong*, 서초동), a 2025 series of 12 episodes in which he plays the lead An Ju-hyung; KMDb independently lists An Joo-hyung in *Seocho-dong* (director Park Seung-woo, 2025).[6](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912) • [4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) • [7](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00152319) He is next cast as Heinrey Alles Lazlo in *The Remarried Empress*, listed for 2026 with 10 episodes.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
## Awards and recognition
Lee won Best New Actor at the 2012 KBS Drama Awards for *School 2013*, and ranked fifth in Gallup Korea's 'Actors Who Lit Up 2013' survey.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
## By the numbers
*I Can Hear Your Voice* reached a 24.1% viewership rating in South Korea.[3](https://eiga.com/person/269289/) User-rated databases give *Big Mouth* 8.5, *Law and the City* 7.9 across 12 episodes, and *The Plot* 7.1.[4](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk) Physical-profile figures from KOFIC are 186 cm and 66 kg; K-PLAZA gives the height identically and the weight as 65 kg, a one-kilogram discrepancy between profiles.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912) • [5](https://entame.k-plaza.com/2013/03/lee-jong-suk.html)
## References
1. [LEE Jong-suk – Korean Film Council (KOFIC) English database](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20127912)
2. [[스타박스] 이종석★탤런트 – KBS 스타박스](https://kstar.kbs.co.kr/person_view.html?idx=158248)
3. [イ・ジョンソク：プロフィール・作品情報・最新ニュース – 映画.com](https://eiga.com/person/269289/)
4. [Lee Jong Suk (이종석) – MyDramaList](https://mydramalist.com/people/900-lee-jong-suk)
5. [イ・ジョンソクのプロフィール – K-PLAZA](https://entame.k-plaza.com/2013/03/lee-jong-suk.html)
6. [이종석 (LEE Jong-suk) 필모그래피 – 영화진흥위원회 KOBIS](https://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/peop/searchPeoplePrintList.do?p_gubun=&peopleCd=20127912)
7. [이종석 – 한국영화데이터베이스 (KMDb)](https://www.kmdb.or.kr/db/per/00152319)
8. [이종석 – 국립중앙도서관 LOD authority record](http://lod.nl.go.kr/page/KAC2018C2143)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of East and Southeast Asia › South Korean actors, 2000s onward › Surnames L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license