# Ju Ji-hoon

Ju Ji-hoon (Korean: 주지훈; born May 16, 1982) is a South Korean actor and model. He first gained international recognition with his leading role in the television series Princess Hours (2006) and has achieved further prominence with the series Mask (2015), Kingdom (2019–2020), Hyena (2020), Light Shop (2024), and The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (2025). Known for his versatility, Ju has also garnered acclaim for his performances in the films Asura: The City of Madness (2016), Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) and its 2018 sequel, The Spy Gone North (2018), Dark Figure of Crime (2018), and Ransomed (2023).

## Early life

Ju Ji-hoon was born on May 16, 1982, on Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea. He graduated with a degree in Acting from Kyonggi University.

## Career
### 2003–2008: Acting debut and recognition

In 2003, Ju debuted as a model, in advertisements for clothing brands such as Calvin Klein, Levi's and Reebok. He had various bit parts in television dramas, but it was in 2006's romantic comedy Princess Hours, based on the manhwa Goong, 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 along with his co-star Yoon Eun-hye.
In March 2007, Ju starred in KBS2's revenge drama Lucifer, opposite Uhm Tae-woong and Shin Min-a. The same month, he received the New Asian Star award at the 1st Astar TV Drama Awards for his performance in Princess Hours and Lucifer.
Ju's film debut was in Antique (2008), based on the manga Antique Bakery. The film was invited to the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. He then reunited with Lucifer co-star Shin Min-ah in the romantic comedy The Naked Kitchen.

### 2009–2017: Military enlistment and comeback

In January 2011, ahead of Ju's military discharge in November, he signed with entertainment agency KeyEast, 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, Ju played the dual role of Grand Prince Choong-nyung and the slave Deok-chil, in a fictional period before the prince becomes King Sejong the Great. This was followed by his starring role as a pianist in the melodrama Five Fingers, broadcast from August to November 2012. Ju also starred in medical drama Medical Top Team, and romantic comedy film Marriage Blue.
Ju made his film debut in China with Love Suspicion, a romantic thriller. In 2014, Ju was paired up with Ji Sung and Lee Kwang-soo in Confession, a neo-noir 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 Mask 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. He received the Popular Film Star award at the Korea Top Star Awards.

### 2018–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 The Spy Gone North, and Dark Figure of Crime. 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 Kingdom, 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.

## Personal life
### Military service

On February 2, 2010, Ju enlisted in the Republic of Korea Army to serve his mandatory military service for five weeks of basic training at 306th draft in Uijeongbu of Gyeonggi Province, followed by active duty with the reserve forces.
Later in August, Ju co-starred with fellow actor Lee Joon-gi in the military musical Voyage of Life. The musical, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, 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 indicted without detention by Seoul Metropolitan Police along with 15 people on suspicion of using ecstasy supplied by actors Yun Seol-hee and Ye Hak-young. On June 23, 2009, he pleaded guilty in court to use of ecstasy and ketamine. Ju was sentenced to a six-month prison term suspended for one year, 120 hours of community service and ₩360,000 won in fines. On the suspended sentence, the judge explained: "The nature of the crime is by no means light. However, he has no prior criminal record, 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

Films appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Antique | Kim Jin-hyeok | |
| 2009 | The Naked Kitchen | Park Du-re | |
| 2012 | I Am the King | Yi Do / Deok-chil | |
| 2013 | Marriage Blue | Kyung-soo | |
| 2014 | Love Suspicion | Kang-han | Chinese film |
| 2014 | Confession | Jung In-chul | |
| 2015 | The Treacherous | Im Soong-jae | |
| 2016 | Asura: The City of Madness | Moon Sun-mo | |
| 2017 | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds | Hae Won-maek | |
| 2018 | Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days | Hae Won-maek | |
| 2018 | The Spy Gone North | Manager Jung | |
| 2018 | Dark Figure of Crime | Kang Tae-oh | |
| 2022 | Hunt | Hyun Soo-jung | Cameo appearance |
| 2022 | Gentleman | Ji Hyeon-soo | |
| 2023 | Ransomed | Kim Pan-su | |
| 2024 | Project Silence | Joe Park | |

### Television series

Television series appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Nonstop 3 | Man on the street | |
| 2004 | Apgujeong's Family House | Kindergarten teacher | Ep. 204 |
| 2005 | One Span Drama - Old Love | Man #2 | |
| 2006 | Princess Hours | Crown Prince Lee Shin | |
| 2007 | Lucifer | Oh Seung-ha | |
| 2012 | Five Fingers | Yoo Ji-ho | |
| 2013 | Medical Top Team | Han Seung-jae | |
| 2015 | Mask | Choi Min-woo | |
| 2019 | Item | Kang Gon | |
| 2019–2020 | Kingdom | Crown Prince Lee Chang | Season 1–2 |
| 2020 | Hyena | Yoon Hee-jae | |
| 2021 | Jirisan | Kang Hyun-jo | |
| 2024 | Blood Free | Woo Chae-woon | |
| 2024 | Love Your Enemy | Seok Ji-won | |
| 2024 | Light Shop | Jung Won-young | |
| 2025 | The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call | Baek Kang-hyeok | |
| 2025 | The Witch | | Cameo |

### Television show

Television shows appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2021 | Kiss the Universe | Narrator | One of the three documentaries | |

### Web shows

Web shows appearances :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2023 | Bros on Foot | Cast Member | with Ha Jung-woo, Choi Min-ho, and Yeo Jin-goo | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist | Ref. |
| 2012 | "처연" | Lowdown 30 [ko] | |
| 2014 | "Fxxk U" | Gain feat. Bumkey | |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2013 | Popular Star Award | Five Fingers | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Hyena | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2018 | Artist of the Year | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2018 | Best Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Asia Contents Awards | 2020 | Best Actor | Kingdom | Won |
| Asia Model Awards | 2008 | Star Prize | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Asia Model Awards | 2020 | Asia Star Award | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2006 | Best New Actor – Television | Princess Hours | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2009 | Most Popular Actor – Film | Antique | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor – Film | Antique | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2019 | Best Actor – Film | Dark Figure of Crime | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2020 | Best Actor – Television | Hyena | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2018 | Popular Star Award | The Spy Gone North | Won |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2018 | Best Actor | Dark Figure of Crime | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | The Spy Gone North | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Asura: The City of Madness | Nominated |
| Buil Film Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | The Spy Gone North | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | Dark Figure of Crime | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2017 | Best Supporting Actor | Asura: The City of Madness | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | Dark Figure of Crime | Won |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2019 | Best Supporting Actor | The Spy Gone North | Nominated |
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2019 | Best Actor | Dark Figure of Crime | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2007 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lucifer | Nominated |
| KCA Consumer Day Awards | 2018 | Best Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds / Dark Figure of Crime | Won |
| KOFRA Film Awards | 2019 | Best Supporting Actor | The Spy Gone North | Won |
| Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards | 2004 | Best Male Model | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Korea Best Dresser Swan Awards | 2005 | Best Male Model | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | The Spy Gone North | Won |
| Korean Film Producers Association Awards | 2018 | Best Actor | Dark Figure of Crime | Won |
| Marie Claire Asia Star Awards | 2018 | Asian Star Award | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds / Dark Figure of Crime | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2006 | Best New Actor | Princess Hours | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2013 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Medical Top Team | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2019 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Monday-Tuesday Miniseries | Item | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2012 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Weekend/Daily Drama | Five Fingers | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special | Mask | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Top 10 Star Award | Mask | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Action Drama | Hyena | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Best Couple Award | Ju Ji-hoon (with Kim Hye-soo) Hyena | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2020 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Hyena | Nominated |
| Style Magazine | 2005 | Most Stylish Male Model | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| The Korea Film Actor's Association | 2016 | Popular Film Star Award | Asura: The City of Madness | Won |
| The Photographers' Association | 2005 | Best Male Model | Ju Ji-hoon | Won |
| The Seoul Awards | 2018 | Best Supporting Actor | Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds / The Spy Gone North | Won |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2019 | Korea Power Celebrity | 40th |
| Forbes | 2020 | Korea Power Celebrity | 31st |
| Forbes | 2021 | Korea Power Celebrity | 25th |
| The Screen | 2019 | 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | 13th |