Zo In-sung (, born July 28, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the Korean television dramas ''

Something Happened in Bali ''Something Happened in Bali'' (; also known as ''What Happened in Bali'' or ''Memories of Bali'') is a 2004 South Korean television series, starring Ha Ji-won, Jo In-sung, So Ji-sub and Park Ye-jin. It aired on SBS on Saturdays and Sundays at ...

'' (2004), '' Spring Day'' (2005), ''

That Winter, the Wind Blows ''That Winter, the Wind Blows'' () is a 2013 South Korean romantic melodrama television series starring Jo In-sung and Song Hye-kyo. A gambler and con man (Jo) pretends to be the long-lost brother of a blind heiress (Song), but these two damag ...

'' (2013), and ''

It's Okay, That's Love ''It's Okay, That's Love'' () is a 2014 South Korean Korean drama, television series starring Jo In-sung, Gong Hyo-jin, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and D.O. (singer), Do Kyung-soo. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System, SBS from July 23 to Sept ...

'' (2014). In film, he is known for his roles in '' The Classic'' (2003), ''

A Dirty Carnival ''A Dirty Carnival'' (; lit: ''The Mean Street'') is a 2006 South Korean neo-noir action film directed by Yoo Ha. It is Yoo Ha's fourth feature film, his previous work being the 2004 drama ''Once Upon a Time in High School''. The film was released ...

'' (2006), ''

A Frozen Flower ''A Frozen Flower'' () is a 2008 South Korean erotic historical film. It is directed by Yoo Ha and stars Zo In-sung, Joo Jin-mo and Song Ji-hyo. The historical film is set during Goryeo Dynasty and is loosely based on the reign of Gongmin of Gorye ...

'' (2008), '' The King'' (2017), '' The Great Battle'' (2018), and ''

Escape from Mogadishu ''Escape from Mogadishu'' () is a 2021 South Korean action drama film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan and starring Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho and Kim So-jin. The film, based on real events, is set during the Somali Civil War and the two ...

'' (2021). He also hosted the reality show '' Unexpected Business''. His name is currently officially romanized as Zo In-sung, previously as Cho In-sung, and sometimes as Jo In-sung.

Early life

Zo In-sung was born and raised in

Gangdong District Gangdong District (Gangdong-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangdong is literally "east of the (Han) River". It is located on the east side of the city. Jungbu (literally "Central Part") Express Motorw ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Zo studied modeling and events management at Chunnam Techno University. He later enrolled as a Theater and Film major at

Dongguk University Dongguk University (Korean: 동국대학교, Hanja: 東國大學校) is a private, coeducational university in South Korea, fundamentally based on Buddhism. Established in 1906 as Myeongjin School (명진학교; 明進學校) by Buddhist pioneers ...

, but was expelled in 2007 due to inadequate class attendance.

Career

1998–2002: Beginnings and rise to fame

Zo made his entertainment debut in 1998 as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...

for clothing brand Ziozia. He began his acting career in 1999 through the MBC

sitcom A sitcom, a 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 troupe may use ne ...

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

'' and, in 2000, starred in the teen drama '' School 3'' and in the second season of the

'' Nonstop''. Zo first drew notice with a supporting role in the 2001

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

'', co-starring

Go Soo Go Soo (born October 4, 1978), also known as Ko Soo, is a South Korean actor. He has appeared in television series such as ''Piano'', ''Green Rose'' and ''Will It Snow for Christmas?'', as well as the films '' White Night'' and '' The Front Line' ...

and

Kim Ha-neul Kim Ha-neul (; born February 21, 1978) is a South Korean actress. After starting her career as a model, she rose to fame by starring in romantic-comedy films ''My Tutor Friend'' (2003) and ''Too Beautiful to Lie'' (2004) and the action-comedy f ...

. He was then cast in his first drama leading role in 2002, as an

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

actor in ''Shoot for the Stars'' opposite

Jeon Do-yeon Jeon Do-yeon (; born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the second Korean actress to win an acting award at a prestigious film festival, and Best Performance by an Ac ...

. The same year, he made his film debut in the movie ''

Public Toilet A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

''. He also starred in several music videos of popular boy band

g.o.d Groove Over Dose, known by the acronym g.o.d (), is a South Korean boy band formed by IHQ (company), SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to sol ...

, a fellow

SidusHQ iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...

artiste at that time, and was directed by actor

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie ''Beat'' (1997), for which ...

2003–2008: Mainstream popularity

In 2003, Zo starred in three romantic films, most notably

Kwak Jae-yong Kwak Jae-yong (born 22 May 1959) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyung Hee University. He achieved success with his debut film '' Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day'' in 1989, but the failure of his next ...

's '' The Classic'', with

Son Ye-jin Son Ye-jin (born Son Eon-jin on January 11, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2003 for '' The Classic'' and ''Summer Scent'', which were followed by the commercially successful ''A Moment to Remember'' (2004) and '' April Snow ...

and

Cho Seung-woo Cho Seung-woo (born March 28, 1980) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the films '' The Classic'' (2003), '' Marathon'' (2005), '' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (2006), and ''Inside Men'' (2015), as well as ...

. In 2004, he returned to television in the melodrama ''

'', alongside

Ha Ji-won Jeon Hae-rim (; born 28 June 1978), better known by her stage name Ha Ji-won () is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the historical dramas '' Damo'' (2003), ''Hwang Jini'' (2006), and '' Empress Ki'' (2013), as well as the melodra ...

and

So Ji-sub So Ji-sub (born November 4, 1977) is a South Korean actor. After making his entertainment debut as a jeans model, he became known for his leading roles in the television series '' What Happened in Bali'' (2004), ''I'm Sorry, I Love You'' (2004), ...

. ''Something Happened'' was a huge success, with its final episode reaching a peak rating of 39.7%. Zo won Best Actor awards at both the

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

and

SBS Drama Awards The SBS Drama Awards (), also known as SBS Awards Festival, is an awards ceremony presented annually by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually on December 31. The hi ...

. In 2005, he starred opposite

Go Hyun-jung Go Hyun-jung (; born March 2, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the entertainment industry as a Miss Korea runner-up in 1989 and went on to star in '' Sandglass ''(1995), one of the highest-rated and critically acclaimed dramas in ...

in her comeback drama '' Spring Day'', a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of the Japanese drama '' Heaven's Coin''. Zo collaborated with renowned director

Yoo Ha Yoo Ha (; or spelled Yu Ha; born February 9, 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and a contemporary poet. He directed the critically acclaimed films ''Marriage Is a Crazy Thing'' (2002), ''Once Upon a Time in High School'' (2004 ...

in his next two films: 2006's ''

'', in which he played a charismatic small-time gangster who seeks a happier life, and 2008's ''

'', a

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

-period film where his royal bodyguard character is caught in a love triangle between the king and the queen.

2009–2012: Enlistment

On April 7, 2009, Zo enlisted for his two-year

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 un ...

; he reportedly wanted to join the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served as a

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

. He served 25 months in the Air Force and the Air Force military band, and was discharged on May 4, 2011. Upon the expiry of his contract with talent agency

, Zo joined IOK Company in March 2012.

2013–present: Return to television and international recognition

In 2013, he co-starred in the melodrama ''

'' alongside

Song Hye-kyo Song Hye-kyo (; born November 22, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She gained international popularity through her leading roles in the television dramas ''Autumn in My Heart'' (2000), '' All In'' (2003), ''Full House'' (2004), ''That Winter, th ...

, a remake of the Japanese drama . The drama placed number one in its time slot during most of its run, and Zo and Song were praised for their performances. A year later, Zo reunited with ''That Winters teleplay writer and director in SBS's medical melodrama ''

'' opposite

Gong Hyo-jin Gong Hyo-jin (born April 4, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film '' Crush and Blush'' (2008), as well as for her popular television series '' Sang Doo! Let's Go to School'' (2003), ''Thank You'' (20 ...

. Zo won the Daesang (Grand Prize), the highest honor for television at the

APAN Star Awards The APAN Star Awards is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea and contribution to Hallyu (Korean wave), organized by the Korea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA). Nominees for the awards are selected from Kore ...

. In 2016, Zo was chosen as the ambassador of the National Tax Service alongside

Choi Ji-woo Choi Ji-woo (born Choi Mi-hyang on June 11, 1975) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful women, she has received critical acclaim for her work in a wide range of melodramas, most notably '' Beautiful Days'' (2 ...

. In 2017, Zo starred in the crime thriller '' The King'' alongside

, directed by ''

The Face Reader ''The Face Reader'' (; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a ''gwansang'' expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of ...

'' director

Han Jae-rim Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed ''Rules of Dating'' (2005), ''The Show Must Go On'' (2007), ''The Face Reader'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021). Career Born in 19 ...

. In 2018, he stars in the historical film '' The Great Battle''

Filmography

Film

Television series

Television shows

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

State honors

Listicles

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zo, In-sung 20th-century South Korean male actors 21st-century South Korean male actors 1981 births IHQ (company) artists Living people Male actors from Seoul Models from Seoul Republic of Korea Air Force personnel South Korean male film actors South Korean male models South Korean male television actors