Ji Sung

Ji Sung, born Kwak Tae-geun on February 27, 1977, is a prominent South Korean actor. He is widely recognized for his lead and supporting performances across a broad selection of television series, including All In (2003), Save the Last Dance for Me (2004), New Heart (2007), Protect the Boss (2011), Secret Love (2013), Kill Me, Heal Me (2015), Innocent Defendant (2017), Familiar Wife (2018), Doctor John (2019), The Devil Judge (2021), Connection (2024), and The Judge Returns (2026), alongside the feature film My PS Partner (2012).

Raised by parents who were both educators, he was initially expected to follow a similar career path in teaching. However, during his sophomore year of high school, his father gave him a VCR, and watching the movie Rain Man inspired him to pursue acting due to Dustin Hoffman's performance. Despite his father's objections, he chose an acting career and later pursued formal studies in Theater and Film at Hanyang University.

His screen debut occurred in 1999 when he auditioned for the campus drama KAIST, prompting screenwriter Song Ji-na to create a brand-new role specifically for him. Initially taking the stage name Chae Ji-sung on his manager's advice, he soon dropped the surname to adopt Ji Sung. After securing larger parts in television projects such as Wonderful Days (2001) and Sunshine Hunting (2002), as well as the movie Whistling Princess (2002), he achieved a career breakthrough in 2003 by starring in the popular drama All In. He expanded his range with the period series The King's Woman, the romance Save the Last Dance for Me (2004), a guest role in Beating Heart (2005), and the historical thriller film Blood Rain (2005).

In June 2005, Ji Sung enlisted for his mandatory military service. After starting as a regular soldier, he transferred to the military promotional unit in 2006 to act as a public ambassador for military affairs before completing his service in June 2007. He marked his television comeback with the successful medical series New Heart (2007–2008), followed by a cameo in the movie Fate (2008), a lead role in the revenge drama Swallow the Sun (2009), and the title character in Kim Su-ro, The Iron King (2010).

During the early 2010s, Ji Sung took on diverse roles across multiple genres. He starred in the corporate drama Royal Family (2011), played a dorky corporate heir in Protect the Boss (2011), portrayed a fictional seer in The Great Seer (2012–2013), and starred in the adult romantic comedy My PS Partner (2012). He rounded out this period with performances in the melodrama Secret Love (2013) and the neo-noir film Confession (2014).

In 2015, Ji Sung received critical acclaim and the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Awards for portraying a character with seven distinct identities in Kill Me, Heal Me. Following the 2016 series Entertainer, he achieved another major ratings success with the 2017 legal thriller Innocent Defendant, winning the Grand Prize at the SBS Drama Awards. He subsequently appeared in the drama Familiar Wife (2018), the period film Feng Shui (2018), and the medical drama Doctor John (2019).

In addition to participating in the 2020 travel program RUN, Ji Sung starred in the legal drama The Devil Judge (2021) and portrayed twin brothers in the 2022 mystery series Adamas. In his personal life, he began dating actress Lee Bo-young after meeting on the set of Save the Last Dance for Me. The couple married in September 2013 and have two children, a daughter born in 2015 and a son born in 2019.