Lee Seo-jin (born January 30, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the reality shows '' Three Meals a Day'' and '' Grandpa Over Flowers''. As an actor, he came to prominence with his leading roles in television series '' Damo'' (2003), '' Phoenix'' (2004), '' Lovers'' (2006), '' Yi San'' (2007) and ''

Marriage Contract ''Marriage Contract'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Lee Seo-jin and Uee. It aired on MBC from March 5 to April 24, 2016 on Saturdays and Sundays at 22:00 for 16 episodes. Plot Kang Hye-soo (Uee) is a single mother who ...

'' (2016).

Career

Lee Seo-jin made his acting debut in 1999 in the television series ''House Above the Waves''. After several supporting roles on TV, he rose to fame in the 2003 hit

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

'' Damo'', followed by the also popular contemporary drama '' Phoenix'' in 2004. Lee then landed his first big screen leading role in the 2005 action blockbuster '' Shadowless Sword''. Lee played a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

in the cable series '' Freeze'' (2006), a gangster in '' Lovers'' (2006), and a

criminal profiler Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is an investigative strategy used by law enforcement agencies to identify likely suspects and has been used by investigators to link cases that may have been committed by the same perpetrato ...

in ''

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

'' (2009). But he would become best known for his portrayals of Korean historical characters King Jeongjo of

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

in '' Yi San'' (2007), and General Gyebaek of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder J ...

in '' Gyebaek'' (2011).

Other activities

Lee comes from a family with strong ties in the financial sector, and believed to be involved in the banking, transportation and tourism industries, among others. He has a Business Management degree from the

New York University Stern School of Business The New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business (commonly referred to as NYU Stern, The Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. I ...

. In 2011, Lee joined the company Ask Veritas Assets Management, which specializes in

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

and

real estate investment Real estate investing involves the purchase, management and sale or rental of real estate for profit. Someone who actively or passively invests in real estate is called a real estate entrepreneur or a real estate investor. Some investors actively ...

. He was appointed as managing director for the firm's second global contents division. A regular volunteer of

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a C ...

since 2006, he was appointed its Goodwill Ambassador for Korea in 2008. Together with the

Nippon Foundation of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money ...

and South Korean food franchise Genesis, Lee established the "Let's Tree Fund" in 2010 to conduct

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands ( forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A de ...

activities. In 2011, Lee joined relief efforts for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Like many celebrities, Lee also publicly protested the forced

repatriation Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

North Korean defectors Since the division of Korea after the end of World War II, North Koreans have fled from the country in spite of legal punishment for political, ideological, religious, economic, moral, personal, or nutritional reasons. Such North Koreans are ...

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television show

Music video

* ''Forever'' ( SKY, 1999) * ''Lieblich'' (

Boohwal Boohwal ( ko, "부활", lit=Born Again, is a South Korean rock band, formed in 1985 by the lead guitarist/songwriter Kim Tae-won. History Formation and the 1980s Kim Tae-won changed the name of the group from "The End" to "부활" ("Boohwa ...

, 2000) * ''Goodbye'' (Jung Jae-wook, 2001) * ''Where Are You?'' (

Yim Jae-beom Yim Jae-beom (; also spelled Yim Jae-bum; born October 14, 1962) is a South Korean rock ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness ...

for ''Ditto 3'' compilation album, 2004)

Theater

* ''Shakespearean Love Method'' (2000)

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

Lee Seo-jin official Korean website

Lee Seo-jin official Japanese website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Seo-jin 1971 births Living people 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors New York University alumni Goseong Lee clan