Ju Ji-hoonhas had roles in a lot ofK-dramas, but some have been better than others. Born on June 07, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea, Ji-hoon began his acting career in 2003. Ji-hoon has captivated audiences with his versatility and nuanced portrayals and has earned a reputation as one of thebest Korean drama actors. Before taking on the lead role of Crown Prince Lee Shin inPrincess Hours, Ji-hoon started out as a supporting actor in a variety of shows.
Although Ji-hoon is mostly recognized for his roles in K-dramas, the award-winning actor has also starred in Korean films such asThe Spy Gone North,Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds, andRansomed.From medical K-dramasto mystery TV shows and everything in between, Ju Ji-hoon has had some great roles already.With dozens of shows under his belt, Ji-hoon has proved his versatility and has given us some great shows.
Light Shop
Cast
In a mysterious shop dealing in lamps, the boundary between life and death is blurred as the dead have a chance to return, while the living face perilous outcomes. The show explores the entanglement of fate and the enigmatic power held within the shop’s unusual merchandise.
Adapted from Kang Full’s webtoon of the same name, Ji-hoon takes on the lead role of Jung Won-young inthe horror K-drama,Light Shop.Light Shopfocuses on a group of strangers struggling with getting over a traumatic experience. Things begin to change for them when they discover a light shop that is run by a mysterious shopkeeper. The light shop isn’t an ordinary store. Instead, it’s visited by spirits that hold the key to the strangers’ lives.
Light Shophas some smart commentary on life and death and can be quite emotional. Ji-hoon stands out inLight Shop, once again showing that he thrives in the horror genre.
The K-drama is Disney+’s highest-rated Korean series of 2024, and for good reason.Light Shophas some smart commentary on life and death and can be quite emotional. Ji-hoon stands out inLight Shop, once again showing that he thrives in the horror genre.Light Shopis intense and thought-provoking from start to finish. While the horror K-drama does have some pacing issues, it is still memorable because of how well Ji-hoon embodied his character.
Mask
Mask is a 2015 film that chronicles the life of Charles Lewis, founder of TapouT, who became a symbol of mixed martial arts fandom. By embodying the character “Mask,” Lewis influenced MMA’s early culture until his untimely death in 2009, leading to his unique induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Written by Choi Ho-chul,Maskis a romantic K-drama that centers around the love story between Ju Ji-hoon’s Choi Min-woo and Soo Ae’s Byun Ji-sook. Ji-sook is a woman who has fallen on hard times due to her father’s debt. When she meets Seo Eun-ha, an heiress who looks exactly like her, she uses the opportunity to make her life better by impersonating her. Ji-sook is thrust into the life of the rich and glamorous where she meets Choi Min-woo, the illegitimate child of a rich man who ends up falling for her because of her authenticity.
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DespiteMaskemploying an overused trope, the K-drama is still fun to watch. WhileMaskis mainly a romantic K-drama, it isn’t afraid to delve into deeper issues such as bullying, social identity, and loneliness. Ji-hoon is charming as the lead character inMask.Choi Min-woo’s aloofness, which begins to change due to his feelings for Ji-sook, makes it easy to root for him and their relationship.Maskcan be a little too dramatic at times, but the K-drama’s cast more than makes up for its shortcomings.
Jirisan
Jirisan (2021) is a South Korean TV series starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon, set in the scenic national park of Mount Jiri. The drama revolves around park rangers who uncover secrets while risking their lives to rescue lost trekkers.
Jirisancenters around the lives of the rangers who work at one of South Korea’s largest national parks.Ju Ji-hoon takes on the role of Kang Hyun-jo, a military academy graduate harboring a secret.Alongside Ju Ji-hoon is Jun Ji-hyun, who plays Seo Yi-kang inthe mystery K-drama. Yi-kang and Hyun-jo use their knowledge to help save people who have become stuck on Mount Jiri. Throughout their partnership, the two characters begin to trust each other and form an unbreakable bond.
Jirisanis essentially a K-drama that explores the dangers of the famous mountain.
The Korean series is intense from start to finish, and the backdrop of Jirisan mountain makes it even more entertaining. Ji-hoon and Ji-hyun are incredible together and have great chemistry, which doesn’t come as a surprise as they are versatile actors.AlthoughJirisanonly had average ratings, the cast’s performance in the K-drama makes it a must-watch for fans of the genre.
Hyena
Hyena follows the lives of cutthroat lawyers who represent the elite and wealthy of society, navigating through intense legal battles while grappling with their own ethical dilemmas and personal conflicts.
Hyenais a legal K-drama that centers around two lawyers, Jung Geum-ja (Kim Hye-soo) and Yoon Hee-jae (Ju Ji-hoon).The two attorneys represent the wealthiest clients South Korea has to offer and often butt heads. Despite Geum-ja and Hee-jae working for the same law firm, their methods for winning cases are vastly different. Geum-ja is a go-getter who isn’t above using dirty tricks to get her way, while Hee-jae isn’t as money-hungry as his greatest competitor.
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Ji-hoon is a joy to watch as Hee-jae, more so because he is usually on the losing side when it comes to his feud with Geum-ja. Hee-jae is arrogant and overly confident in his abilities, and rightly so.The chemistry between the lead characters is clear to see, and their bickering makesHyenaa great K-drama.Hyenaproves that Ji-hoon can shine in any role, but he is especially great in K-dramas that have him portraying an arrogant character.
Princess Hours
Princess Hours is a South Korean television series that follows the story of Crown Prince Lee Shin, who, while in love with a ballerina, is compelled to marry a commoner named Shin Chae Gyeong as the country’s emperor falls ill, sparking political and romantic turmoil.
Set in an alternate reality that has Korea being ruled by a monarch,Princess Hoursis based on Park So-hee’s manhwa series,Goong.The romantic K-drama follows Crown Prince Lee Shin, who is betrothed to Shin Chae-kyeong, a normal high school teenager who doesn’t come from a noble family. Despite Shin initially being opposed to the marriage, he becomes enamored by Chae-kyeong’s kind heart and personality, which leads him to fall for her.
WhilePrincess Hoursis a great K-drama, it isn’t without its faults. The characters can be frustrating, and the show is a bit slow.However, Ji-hoon helps bring life to it, which makes it unsurprising thatPrincess Hourswas his breakout K-drama.Although he was still a relatively new actor at the timePrincess Hourspremiered, Ji-hoon’s portrayal of Crown Prince Lee Shin proved that he had the potential to become a star in the Korean movie and TV industry.
Love Your Enemy
Love Your Enemy, releasing on July 24, 2025, explores the dynamics between Seok Ji-won and Yoon Ji-won, lifelong adversaries who reunite after 18 years. Sharing a birthday and a name, their complex history unfolds in this narrative centered around resolution and identity.
Debuting in 2024,Love Your Enemyis a romantic K-drama with Ju Ji-hoon and Jung Yu-mi taking on the lead roles of Seok Ji-won and Yoon Ji-won, respectively.The two characters had been enemies their whole lives due to an old family feud. When they reunite as adults, they still dislike each other. However, their feelings for each other begin to morph from hate to love when they are forced to interact.
Love Your Enemyis a funenemies-to-lovers K-dramathat is infused with humor and romance.The chemistry between the lead characters is very fun to watch and contributes to whyLove Your Enemyis one of Ji-hoon’s best Korean TV series.Ji-hoon is funny and charming inLove Your Enemy, but still manages to perfectly carry emotional scenes. The K-drama is fast-paced, has heartwarming moments, and an intriguing subplot that will get you hooked fast.
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call features a war-seasoned doctor who employs his blunt yet skilled methods to transform a team into maverick life-savers, aiming to establish a leading trauma center.
One of themost anticipated K-dramas of 2025,The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call stars Ju Ji-hoon in the lead role as Dr. Baek Kang-hyeok.The medical K-drama sees Dr. Baek take a job at a struggling university teaching hospital that has a failing trauma department. With his experience in war zones, Dr. Baek uses his knowledge to try and revamp the trauma center despite facing pushback from those who would like to see him fail. He enlists the help of Young Jae-won and Nurse Cheong Jang-mi to help him achieve his goal.
The fast-paced medical K-drama is entertaining and a lot of fun. Ji-hoon is absolutely enthralling as Dr. Baek.
At the time of its release,The Trauma Code: Heroes On Callrose to the top of Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English shows.The fast-paced medical K-drama is entertaining and a lot of fun. Ji-hoon is absolutely enthralling as Dr. Baek. The actor perfectly embodies the arrogant doctor, and his comedic timing makes the medical K-drama even more entertaining. WithThe Trauma Code: Heroes On Call’s humor, medical emergencies, and great supporting actors, it’s easy to see why it’s one of Ji-hoon’s best K-dramas.
Kingdom
Based on the webtoonThe Kingdom of the Gods,Kingdom is a 2019 South Korean historical drama-horror series created for Netflix. Lee Chang, the crown prince of a fictional interpretation of 16th-century Korea, is forced to stand in for his ailing father as a plague begins to ravage their homeland, all while fighting off would-be-usurpers to the throne.
Kingdomis undoubtedly Ji-hoon’s best K-drama. Based on the webtoon series by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il, the zombie K-drama follows Crown Prince Lee Chang and his efforts to rid his kingdom of a mysterious plague while also trying to keep his political enemies from usurping the throne.Kingdomplayed a huge role in helping K-dramas become popular on Netflix. AlthoughLove Alarmwas the first K-drama to be commissioned by Netflix,Kingdompremiered on the streaming platform first.
Kingdomfeatures the blood, gore, and violence that are synonymous with thezombie K-drama genre. The Korean TV series pulls audiences in with its action, intriguing storyline, and entertaining subplots.Kingdom’s blend of historical fiction, romance, and fantasy is one of the reasons that theK-dramawas positively received by both audiences and critics.Ju Ji-hoongives a career-defining performance as Crown Prince Lee Chang. The award-winning actor brings an emotional gravitas and fearlessness to his character that reminds audiences why he has earned such a great reputation in the Korean entertainment industry.
