# Lee Joon-hyuk (이준혁) (actor, born 1984)
**Lee Joon-hyuk** (이준혁; also romanized Lee Jun-hyuk, born 1984) is a South Korean actor who moved from a decade of supporting parts to leading roles in television and film, known for the prosecutor Kim Young-joo in *[City Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-hunter-tv-series)* (2011), the prosecutor Seo Dong-jae in *Stranger* (2017) and its spin-off *[Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard](https://www.edgepedia.org/dongjae-the-good-or-the-bastard)* (2024), and villain roles in *Along with the Gods* (2017) and *The Roundup: No Way Out* (2023).[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3789806/) He is represented by the agency Ace Factory.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984; IMDb lists Seoul as his birthplace, while a fan archive lists Incheon[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3789806/) • [3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) |
| Agency | Ace Factory[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) |
| Debut | Music video for the group Typhoon in 2006; acting debut in the drama *First Wives Club* (2007)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) |
| Breakthrough role | Prosecutor Kim Young-joo in *City Hunter* (2011), nicknamed "Sherlock Holmes" for his probing eyes[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) |
| Military service | Two years of compulsory service beginning 2014; returned to the screen in 2017[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) |
| Physical transformation | Gained around 20 kilograms, tanned, and changed his voice to play drug kingpin Joo Sung-cheol in *The Roundup: No Way Out* (2023)[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20230531/interview-lee-jun-hyuk-unrecognizable-in-the-roundup-no-way-out) |
| Ten-million-admission films | Five, totaling 67,424,645 admissions on Korea Film Council figures, led by *The Man Who Lives with the King* (16,926,269) and *Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds* (14,414,658)[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) |
| Recent award | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama, for *Love Scout* at the 2025 SBS Drama Awards[5](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Joon_Hyuk?newwindow=true) |
## Early career
Lee first appeared in a music video for the group Typhoon in 2006 and made his acting debut the next year in the drama series *First Wives Club* (2007). Television work followed in *Worlds Within* (2008), where he co-starred with Song Hye-gyo, and *Three Brothers* (2009). His first film role came in the comedy *Fortune Salon* (2009), and in *I Am Legend* (2010) he played a divorced 34-year-old guitarist and composer.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) He also appeared in the 2010 film *I Saw the Devil*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3789806/)
## Breakthrough on television
**City Hunter.** In the 2011 drama *City Hunter* Lee played Prosecutor Kim Young-joo, a role that earned him the nickname "Sherlock Holmes" for his probing eyes. After starring in the Chinese drama series *Fairytale* (2012), he enlisted for his two years of compulsory military service in 2014.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615)
**Stranger and Seo Dong-jae.** Lee returned in 2017 as part of the main cast of the hit police series *Stranger*, playing prosecutor Seo Dong-jae, and reprised the role in the show's second season in 2020.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615) The character proved durable: in 2024 he carried the spin-off *Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard* as the title character, one of the works IMDb lists among those he is known for.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3789806/)
## Film career
Lee's film work after his comeback included the two-part fantasy *Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds* (2017) and *Along with the Gods: The Last 4,000 Years* (2018), in both of which he played First Lieutenant Park Moo-sin; the two films recorded 14,414,658 and 12,278,010 admissions respectively.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) In 2023 he played the villainous drug kingpin Joo Sung-cheol in *The Roundup: No Way Out* and Lieutenant Kwon Hyung-jin in *12.12: The Day* (Korean title *Seoului Bom*, "Seoul's Spring"), which recorded 13,122,895 admissions.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) He played the role of Gi-cheol in *The Firefighter* (2024).[6](https://www.ottrank.kr/person/1254630) In 2026 he made a special appearance as Grand Prince Geumseong in director Jang Hang-jun's historical film *The Man Who Lives with the King*, which drew 16,926,269 admissions.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) • [7](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202501180800013642)
**The Roundup: No Way Out.** For the 2023 third installment of *The Roundup* series, Lee underwent one of the most dramatic physical changes of his career, gaining around 20 kilograms, getting a tan, and changing his tone of voice. Actor, producer, and writer [Ma Dong-seok](https://www.edgepedia.org/ma-dong-seok), who offered him the role, told him to do two things: go to a tanning salon and learn boxing. Lee said he accepted the part without hesitation, before *The Roundup* (2022) had even been released, and later joined Ma in 14 hours of script revision and rehearsal.[4](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20230531/interview-lee-jun-hyuk-unrecognizable-in-the-roundup-no-way-out) The film drew 10,682,813 admissions.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/)
## Lead roles in the mid-2020s
Lee's move into leading television roles came in the mid-2020s. In the 2025 SBS romance drama released internationally as *Love Scout* (Korean title *My Perfect Secretary*) he starred opposite [Han Ji-min](https://www.edgepedia.org/han-ji-min), and the role brought him the Top Excellence Award for an Actor in a Seasonal Drama at the 2025 [SBS Drama Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/sbs-drama-awards).[7](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202501180800013642) • [5](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Joon_Hyuk?newwindow=true) Commenting on the hit, he compared his situation to winning a lottery jackpot while still having to keep working.[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/hot-issues/12174637) He also made a special appearance in the 2025 Netflix series *Gwangjang*.[7](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202501180800013642)
**Even the Lottery Winner Goes to Work.** In 2026 he led the Tving original series *Even the Lottery Winner Goes to Work* (Korean title *Lotto 1deungdo Chulgeunhamnida*), also aired on tvN, based on a popular web novel and written and directed by Yoon Young-bin. He played sales team leader Gong Eun-tae, who wins 1.3 billion won in the lottery and keeps going to work with a different mindset instead of submitting his resignation.[9](https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1008701508) • [10](https://www.starnewskorea.com/en/star/2026/10/14/2026101315145359715) In post-production interviews he said the lead role taught him a new sense of responsibility, and that he had tried to make room for his co-stars rather than claim the spotlight, comparing his function to the bass line of a band.[11](https://en.sedaily.com/news/2026/10/14/lee-joon-hyuk-20-years-in-finally-feeling-like-a-lead) • [12](https://www.dipe.co.kr/2349366)
**The Art of Sarah.** Also in 2026 he starred in the Netflix thriller *The Art of Sarah* (Korean title *Lady Dua*), an eight-episode series released on February 13, reuniting with [Shin Hye-sun](https://www.edgepedia.org/shin-hye-sun) about eight years after *Stranger*. He played Park Mu-gyeong, a violent-crime investigation team leader who sets out to investigate [Sarah Kim](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-kim), the enigmatic CEO of a luxury brand whose multiple names, ages, and careers make her identity almost impossible to pin down.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) • [13](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/netflix-korean-tv-shows-2026/) He also made a special appearance as King Wharton III, the elder brother of [Lee Jong-suk](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jong-suk)'s character, in *The Remarried Empress*, scheduled for release on Disney+ on November 4, 2026.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/)
## Upcoming projects
Several projects were in production or announced as of 2026. Lee was cast as Tae Joon-seob, grandson of TK Group's chairman Tae Si-hwan, in *Calm Lies*, an office romance that shares a fictional universe with *Lee Seob's Love*, starring Lee Jong-suk; the two characters are cousins competing to inherit TK Group, and the dramas were set for simultaneous production, though female leads, platforms, and airing schedules had not been finalized.[14](https://www.cineplay.co.kr/en-us/articles/26133) He was also cast as Father Antonio, an orthodox exorcist priest at Seongryeong High School, in the SBS occult drama *Awakening* (Korean *Gakseong*), slated for 2027, his first role in the occult genre.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) The film *Vampir*, directed by Jang Jae-hyun, director of *The Priests*, *Svaha: The Sixth Finger*, and *Exhuma*, was scheduled for 2028 with Lee as a pagan vampire seeking eternal life; filming began in August 2026.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/)
## Working style and recognition
Lee has described himself as an actor open to every genre, entering each project with a willingness to try, and has said he treats every work he acts in as if it were his last.[3](https://leejunhyuk05.com/) He is noted for portraying complex characters caught between institutions and individuals with delicate emotional expression, and for giving villains a three-dimensional mix of violence and calculation.[6](https://www.ottrank.kr/person/1254630) In January 2025, YTN described him as the most explosively popular star of the moment, a late-blooming example built on a filmography without gaps.[7](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202501180800013642) In 2025 he undertook his first Asia fan meeting tour, titled "LET ME IN", covering six cities.[15](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/453933)
## References
1. [LEE Jun-hyuk, Korean Film Council (KOFIC) KOBIZ people database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/mobile3/pnc/peopleView.jsp?peopleCd=20133615)
2. [Lee Jun-hyuk (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3789806/)
3. [이준혁 LEE JUN HYUK fan archive (filmography and box-office figures on KOFIC basis)](https://leejunhyuk05.com/)
4. [INTERVIEW: Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out', The Korea Times (May 31, 2023)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20230531/interview-lee-jun-hyuk-unrecognizable-in-the-roundup-no-way-out)
5. [Lee Joon Hyuk, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Lee_Joon_Hyuk?newwindow=true)
6. [배우 이준혁 프로필·필모그래피, 오뜨랑](https://www.ottrank.kr/person/1254630)
7. [이준혁의 '황금기'엔 이유 있다, YTN (January 18, 2025)](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202501180800013642)
8. [Lee Jun-hyuk: "'My Perfect Secretary' was a hit, but I still have to work", Maeil Business (MK)](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/hot-issues/12174637)
9. [Lee Joon-hyuk Chooses Work Over Quitting Even After Winning 1.3 Billion Won Lottery, SBS News (August 12, 2026)](https://news.sbs.co.kr/amp/news.amp?news_id=N1008701508)
10. [Lee Jun-hyuk on 'Even the Lottery Winner Goes to Work', STARNEWS (October 14, 2026)](https://www.starnewskorea.com/en/star/2026/10/14/2026101315145359715)
11. [Lee Joon-hyuk: 20 Years In, This Role Finally Feels Like His Own, Seoul Economic Daily (October 14, 2026)](https://en.sedaily.com/news/2026/10/14/lee-joon-hyuk-20-years-in-finally-feeling-like-a-lead)
12. ["Actors clock in too"…Lee Jun-hyuk, the acting scene, Dispatch (DIPE)](https://www.dipe.co.kr/2349366)
13. [The 36 Best Netflix Korean Shows of 2026 (So Far), Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/netflix-korean-tv-shows-2026/)
14. [Lee Jong-suk and Lee Joon-hyuk Cast as Leads in Web Novel Adaptation Dramas 'Lee Seob's Love' and 'Calm Lies', CinePlay (February 23, 2026)](https://www.cineplay.co.kr/en-us/articles/26133)
15. [이준혁 화보·인터뷰, MBC enews](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/453933)
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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; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 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