Seo Ji-seok (born Seo Jong-wook, 9 September 1981) is a South Korean

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

. He is best known for playing in the long-running

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

, notably in the 167-episode

KBS1 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

daily drama '' Pure in Heart'' (''Pure 19''), which brought him to win Best New Actor at the

2006 KBS Drama Awards The 2006 KBS Drama Awards () was a ceremony honoring the outstanding achievement in television on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) network for the year of 2006. It was held on December 31, 2006 and hosted by Tak Jae-hoon, Ryu Si-won and Cho ...

Early life and education

Seo was an athlete specializing in

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

sprint in middle school. He won four gold medals in a variety of sports when he was 16 years old and was also chosen to be the member of the national team. However, in 1999, he was hit by a vehicle while he was crossing the street, and was hospitalized for 6 months. He was then scouted on the street, while working

part-time Part-time can refer to: * Part-time job, a job that has fewer hours a week than a full-time job * Part-time student, a student, usually in higher education, who takes fewer course credits than a full-time student * Part Time, an American pop band ...

, by a talent manager who liked his refined appearance, henceforth choosing acting as his career. Seo graduated from

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as w ...

, majoring in Bachelor of Film and Television.

Career

Seo has appeared in two films directed by renowned South Korean movie director

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

. In Kim's 2005 film '' The Bow'', he played a college student involved in a mysterious and dangerous relationship between an old man and a 16-year-old girl. Seo appeared for the second time in Kim's movie ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

'' as a guest star, and participated in the film ''May I Cry?'' in 2006. That same year, Seo was cast as the smart and cold Park Yoon-hoo in the 167-episode daily drama '' Pure in Heart'', leading the series alongside Ku Hye-sun. For his performance in the series, he won Best New Actor award at the

. In 2007, Seo reported for his

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

and was assigned to the 12th Infantry Division located in

Inje Inje County (''Inje-gun'') is a county in Gangwon Province, South Korea. It has the lowest population density of any South Korean county. History Since the first inhabitants came to the Korean peninsula, there have been people living in Inje coun ...

, Gangwon-do. He was discharged on May 3, 2009, and subsequently held a fan meeting on May 10, 2009. Seo returned to acting by playing in an independent film ''The Inside Story of Him and Her'' and appearing as a cameo in ''

High Kick Through The Roof ''High Kick Through the Roof'' () was a popular South Korean situation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family. Cast Soon-jae's House ;Lee Soon-jae (, Lee Soon-jae) : President of the self-named food company Lee Soon-jae F&B (Food & ...

''. In 2010, Seo was cast as a lead role in the series '' OB & GY'', followed by weekend drama ''

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...

'' opposite Bae Doo-na. He next joined a

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a com ...

'' Sunday Night'' for six months as one of the MCs. In 2011, Seo starred in the 16-episode romantic-comedy drama '' Manny''. He also starred in ''High Kick Through The Roofs spin-off; a 123-episode

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

'' High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged''. In addition to acting, Seo also appeared in

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...

Kim Yuna Yuna Kim (; born September 5, 1990), also credited in eastern name order as Kim Yuna or Kim Yeon-a, is a retired South Korean competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Olympic champion and 2014 Olympic silver medalist in ladies' singles, ...

's variety show '' Kim Yuna's Kiss & Cry''. In 2012, Seo participated in the 3-episode of MBC Music cable TV variety program ''Music and Lyrics'' Season 2 with composer Kim Wi Yong, actress Lee Chung-ah, and singer

Heo Young-saeng Heo Young-saeng (; born: November 3, 1986)

to collaborate on OST "Gazing (바라본다)" for MBC's weekend drama ''The Sons''. The following year, Seo played as a lead actor in the film ''Mango Tree'', a cameo in the series '' Potato Star 2013QR3'', and also starred in the 50-episode weekend drama '' A Little Love Never Hurts'' from 2013 to 2014. From 2013 to 2015, Seo appeared in two long-running variety programs; ''

Cool Kiz on the Block ''Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education'' (), also known as ''Cool Kiz on The Block'', was a South Korean television sports variety show which premiered on 9 April 2013 on KBS2. It was the replacement show of '' Moonlight Prince''. The pro ...

'', and ''

Law of the Jungle "The law of the jungle" (also called jungle law) is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines the Law of the Jungle as "''the code of survival in jungle life'', now usual ...

'' which was shot in Costa Rica. He returned to daily dramas, playing in the 120-episode ''

The Three Witches ''The Three Witches'' () is a 2015 South Korean evening daily drama series starring Choi Jung-won, Seo Ji-seok, Yoo Ji-in and Shin Dong-min. It aired on SBS from December 14, 2015 to June 10, 2016, airing every Monday to Friday at 19:20 for 1 ...

'' (''Witch Castle'') in 2015, followed by 100-episode ''

Unknown Woman ''The Unknown Woman'' ( it, La sconosciuta, ; also known as ''The Other Woman'') is a 2006 Italian psychological thriller mystery film, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore that depicts a woman alone in a foreign country, haunted by a horrible past. ...

'' in 2017. In July 2019, Seo replaced Kang Ji-hwan in a

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 romances, adventure films, and swas ...

Joseon Survival Period ''Joseon Survival Period'' () is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Kang Ji-hwan (replaced by Seo Ji-seok from episode 11 onwards), Kyung Soo-jin, Song Won-seok, Park Se-wan, Lee Jae-yoon, Han Jae-suk and Yoon Ji-min. It aired o ...

'', starting from episode 11 to 16. In october 2021 Seo has signed with Management Redwoods.

Personal life

Seo married a florist in 2013. Singer IU and R&B group 4Men sang celebratory songs in their wedding.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Music video appearance

Variety shows

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* at The Great Company 크다컴퍼니 (Joined in 2017)
Seo Jisuk Japan Official Site (ソ・ジソクジャパンオフィシャルサイト)

Official Fan Club - Daum Café Tasanjisuk (타산지석, 他山之石)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seo, Ji-seok South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors South Korean television personalities Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni Male actors from Seoul 1981 births Living people