Ju Ji-hoon (born May 16, 1982) is a South Korean actor and model. His first leading role was in the 2006 hit drama ''

Princess Hours ''Princess Hours'' (; lit. ''Palace'') is a 2006 South Korean television series, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo. It is based on Korean manhwa '' Goong'' by Park So-hee. It aired on MBC from January 11 to ...

''. His other notable works include ''

The Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

'', '' Antique'', ''

Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...

'', '' Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds'' and its sequel, ''

The Spy Gone North ''The Spy Gone North'' () is a 2018 South Korean spy drama film directed by Yoon Jong-bin. It stars Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong and Ju Ji-hoon. The film is loosely based on the true story of Park Chae-seo, a former South Korea ...

'', ''

Dark Figure of Crime In criminology and sociology, the dark figure of crime, or hidden figure of crime, is the amount of unreported or undiscovered crime. Methodology This gap between reported and unreported crimes calls the reliability of official crime statist ...

'', ''

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

,'' and '' Jirisan''.

Early life

In 2003, Ju debuted as a model, in advertisements for clothing brands such as Calvin Klein, Levi's and

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

. He won many awards for modeling. Before entering the entertainment industry, he studied at Tongwon College, majoring in e-Business.

Career

2006–2008: Acting debut and recognition

Ju had various bit parts in television dramas, but it was in 2006's romantic comedy ''

'', based on the

manhwa (; ) is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korean comics. is greatly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries. ...

Goong ''Princess Hours'' (; lit. ''Palace'') is a 2006 South Korean television series, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo. It is based on Korean manhwa '' Goong'' by Park So-hee. It aired on MBC from January 11 to ...

'', that he achieved breakthrough. The drama was a hit domestically with a peak rating of 28.3%, and internationally across Asia, catapulting Ju into Korean Wave stardom. He won the Best New Actor award at the

MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MB ...

along with his co-star

Yoon Eun-hye Yoon Eun-hye (; born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby Vox, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005. Yoon has since moved on to acting and is best known for st ...

. In March 2007, Ju starred in KBS2's revenge drama ''

'', opposite

Uhm Tae-woong Uhm Tae-woong (born April 5, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in 1998, but initially struggled to emerge from under the shadow of his older sister, popular singer-actress Uhm Jung-hwa. After several years of small roles an ...

and

Shin Min-a Shin Min-a (; born 5 April 1984) is a South Korean model and actress best known for starring in television dramas ''A Love to Kill'' (2005), ''My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox'' (2010), '' Arang and the Magistrate'' (2012), ''Oh My Venus'' ...

. The same month, he received the New Asian Star award at the 1st Astar TV Drama Awards for his performance in ''Princess Hours'' and ''The Devil''. Ju's film debut was in '' Antique'' (2008), based on the manga ''

Antique Bakery is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fumi Yoshinaga. The slice of life series follows the lives of four men who work in a ''pâtisserie''. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine ''Wings'' from 1999 to 2001, a ...

''. The film was invited to the

59th Berlin International Film Festival The 59th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 February to 15 February 2009. The opening film of the festival was Tom Tykwer’s '' The International'', screened out of competition. Costa-Gavras's immigrant drama '' Eden Is West'' se ...

. He then reunited with ''The Devil'' co-star

Shin Min-ah Shin may refer to: Biology * The front part of the human leg below the knee * Shinbone, the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates Names * Shin (given name) (Katakana: シン, Hiragana: しん), a Japanese ...

in the romantic comedy ''

The Naked Kitchen ''The Naked Kitchen'' (; lit. "Kitchen") is a 2009 South Korean film written and directed by Hong Ji-young. Starring Shin Min-ah, Ju Ji-hoon, and Kim Tae-woo, the film is a romantic comedy-drama about a very curious ménage à trois. Plot Ahn M ...

''.

2011–2016: Comeback

In January 2011, ahead of Ju's discharge in November, he signed with entertainment agency

KeyEast KeyEast (; stylized as KEYEAST) is a management agency founded by actor Bae Yong-joon. History * October 8, 1996 – Tuneboom Korea Co., Ltd. (한국툰붐 주식회사) was established. * November 2003 – Tuneboom Korea was listed at KOSDAQ. ...

, owned by actor Bae Yong-joon. In August 2012, Ju made his comeback in the period comedy film '' I Am the King''. Inspired by the popular novel ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

'', Ju played the

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

of Grand Prince Choong-nyung and the slave Deok-chil, in a fictional period before the prince becomes

King Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do ( Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great ( Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initi ...

. This was followed by his starring role as a pianist in the melodrama '' Five Fingers'', broadcast from August to November 2012. Joo also starred in medical drama ''

Medical Top Team ''Medical Top Team'' () is a South Korean television series written by Yoon Kyung-ah and directed by Kim Do-hoon. It starred Kwon Sang-woo, Jung Ryeo-won, Ju Ji-hoon, Oh Yeon-seo and Choi Min-ho. The series began filming in August 2013, and aired ...

'', and romantic comedy film ''

Marriage Blue ''Marriage Blue'' (; lit. "The Night Before the Wedding") is a 2013 South Korean romantic comedy film that follows the misadventures of four engaged couples in the week leading up to their weddings. Plot Tae-kyu (Kim Kang-woo) is a former professi ...

''. Ju made his film debut in China with ''Love Suspicion'', a romantic thriller. In 2014, Ju was paired up with

Ji Sung Ji Sung (born Kwak Tae-geun on 27 February 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' All In'' (2003), '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' (2004), ''New Heart'' (2007), ''Protect the Boss'' (2011), ' ...

and

Lee Kwang-soo Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...

in ''

Confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...

'', a

neo-noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating ...

film that brutally explores the aftermath of three men's friendship after the death of one's mother. In 2015, Ju starred in the period film '' The Treacherous'', reuniting him with the director of ''Antique'' and ''Naked Kitchen''. He then made his small screen comeback with SBS' melodrama ''

'' alongside Soo Ae. In 2016, Ju starred in the noir crime thriller '' Asura: The City of Madness'', which premiered globally at the 41st

Toronto Film Festival Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He received the Popular Film Star award at the Korea Top Star Awards.

2017–present: Career resurgence

From 2017 to 2018, Ju starred in the two-part fantasy epic '' Along With the Gods''. The film was the second highest grossing film in South Korea, and Ju became known for his role as Haewonmaek. In 2018, Ju starred in the thriller films ''

'', and ''

''. Ju's performance in both films earned acclaim, and he won several Best Supporting Actor awards at film ceremonies for his performance in ''The Spy Gone North'', and was nominated for Best Actor at the Blue Dragon Awards for ''Dark Figure of Crime''. In 2019, Ju made a comeback to the small screen with two television series; Netflix's zombie period drama ''

'', and MBC's fantasy legal drama '' Item''. In 2020, Ju reprised his role in the second season of ''Kingdom'', and starred in the legal drama '' Hyena''. In January 2021, Ju signed with new agency H& Entertainment.

Conscription

On February 2, 2010, Ju enlisted in the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

to serve his mandatory military service for five weeks of basic training at 306th draft in

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Overview Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural choke point across the main traditional in ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

, followed by active duty with the reserve forces. In August, Ju co-starred with fellow actor

Lee Joon-gi Lee Joon-gi (born 17 April 1982) is a South Korean actor, singer, dancer, and model. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a clown in the critically acclaimed film ''The King and the Clown'' (2005) and gained further recognition in ...

in the military musical ''Voyage of Life''. The musical, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, was co-produced by the Ministry of National Defense and Korea Musical Theatre Association. It ran from August 21 to 29 at the National Theater of Korea. Ju was discharged on November 21, 2011.

Legal issues

On April 27, 2009, Ju was arrested by Seoul Metropolitan Police on drug charges. He was arrested along with 15 people and an actress identified as Yoon on suspicion of supplying ecstasy. On June 23, 2009, Ju pleaded guilty in court to drug use of ecstasy and

ketamine Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic used medically for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. It is also used as a recreational drug. It is one of the safest anesthetics, as, in contrast with opiates, ether, and propofol, it suppresses ...

. He was sentenced to six months of jail time, suspended for one year, 120 hours of community service, and a fine of . The judge explained, "The nature of the crime is by no means light. However, he has reflected deeply on the crime and has not taken any drugs since the time a year and two months ago. Also, many fans from within the country and from overseas have appealed for an appropriate handling of the matter and sent petitions." Ju's lawyer also stated, "Of course he must accept the price of his crime, but wrong information kept coming out and exaggerated him as a habitual user, and some of it was unfair."

Filmography

Film

Television series

Web series

Television shows

Web shows

Music video appearances

Awards and nominations

Listicles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ju, Ji-hoon Living people 1982 births Male actors from Seoul South Korean male models South Korean male film actors South Korean male television actors 21st-century South Korean male actors