Lee Jun-hohas been known for various talents throughout the years, but he actually first rose to prominence in the Korean pop band 2PM. Big during the second generation of K-pop groups, 2PM is still active to this day, although Lee, like several other members of the group, has expanded hisskill set into the acting world. Lee, who debuted with 2PM in 2009, first had an acting role in the 2013 movieCold Eyes, and it’s history from there. After being praised for his acting skills in that film, he continued to be cast in not only movies, but dramas as well, landing the coveted male lead role many desire in several dramas.
But it wasn’t until 2021 that Lee really began to garner praise for his acting. After being cast in the lead role ofThe Red Sleeve, he would become the first idol actor to land some of the biggest acting awards in Korea’s entertainment and drama scene. Despite being active in the Korean entertainment world for over a decade now, Lee’s filmography has continued to be selective, leaving fans looking for more. His most recent work was inNetflix’sKing the Land, which saw him paired up with fellow idol actor Im Yoon-ah. That said, these are his best shows and movies so farbefore upcoming projectsland on your screen.
12Good Manager
Despite being a drama that many predicted would fail during its run,Good Managerwas a massive surprise when it managed to land good ratings throughout its domestic airing. The 2017 series takes place at a company where the protagonist, an accountant working for a mobster, ends up landing a good job there. And, above all else, he’s going to be the chief of the Accounting Department. He decides to embezzle money from the company, but doesn’t realize the emotional bonds he’ll make in the process, making him feel guilty about what he’s about to do.
A film that came out in 2015,Twentystars Lee Jun-ho, Kim Woo-bin, and Kang Ha-neul as three young men coming-of-age and realizing that life is hard. Each of them is completely different — one bums around, another wants to be an artist, and the last one wants to just do well in school — but because they’re good friends and trying to get through life together, they have each other’s backs at the end of the day. The movie is a comedy, so when life gets hard, these three end up getting through the day with some humorous situations sprinkled throughout the narrative.
10Cold Eyes
A movie that had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival,Cold Eyesalso served as the acting debut of Lee Jun-ho. A woman with a photographic memory is hired at a police division, and realizes that her new job involves surveillance, not the police uniforms and gig she was thinking of originally. Her first task on the job involves a group of robbers, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg when the group’s leader decides to try and kill someone and then flee to another country, and finding him isn’t going to be as easy as it sounds.
9The Terror Live
Kim Byung-woo directsThe Terror Live, which features Lee Jun-ho as the narrator of the film in some versions. Ha Jung-woo portrays a former top news anchor who, after an incident, finds himself back at the bottom of the barrel. When he gets a phone call one day telling him there’s a plot to blow up the Mapo Bridge, he slowly realizes that this isn’t a joke and the bridge is going to collapse. Yet, instead of telling the police, he decides this will revive his career and decides to cover it.
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8Homme Fatale
A movie that came out in 2019,Homme Fataleimagines what it would be like if a man wanted to be in a role that’s traditionally for women. The main character is Heo-saek (Lee), a man who dreams of becoming akisaeng— a role in the Joseon Dynasty that only women would do, and if they became a kisaeng, they would be considered the bottom of society. Despite the challenges, and with the help of a woman, together they’re going to make their dreams come true.
7Confession
A legal drama with a flair for dramatic storylines,Confessioncame out domestically back in 2019. Lee Jun-ho portrays Choi Do-hyun, who, after witnessing how his father was wrongly accused of murder, decides to come a lawyer because of it. He ends up becoming the lawyer investigating the circumstances of his father’s case, and if it comes to it, he knows he’s going to fight foe what is right in his father’s name. AlthoughConfessiontypically isn’t considered many’s favorite Korean drama, it has been vastly underrated in the Korean drama world since its release.
6Wok of Love
InWok of Love, which aired for one season in 2018, sees Lee Jun-ho as Seo Poong, a man who worked his way up from the bottom. He was a grunt working in a hotel kitchen who managed to become a top chef at a hotel, and, at the start of the series, becomes the co-owner of a small restaurant after his fame and success is taken away from him overnight. Together with an heiress and a former gangster, they’re going to change this restaurant’s luck for the better.Wok of Loveis a pretty decent Korean drama, especially for those who love elements of food being incorporated into the plot of the show overall.
Before Lee managed to rise to the top and become a leading role actor in the drama world, he was in the supporting cast of the 2016 showMemory. Lee Seung-in stars in the lead role of a mam who’s slowly losing his memory. Despite this, he tries to cling to the life he’s built so far with his family, career, and relationships, and will do everything it takes to preserve what he has so far. Lee Jun-ho plays a supporting role in the drama briefly, although the drama didn’t do too well ratings-wise.
4Rain or Shine
Lee Jun-ho stars in the 2017 dramaRain or Shine, which was the first time Lee had received a leading role in a drama. The series is about a tragic accident that takes the lives of almost fifty people, leaving the survivors and loved ones of these individuals grieving with the circumstances that have happened. It focuses on the lives of two individuals impacted by the accident and how they’ve continued on with their lives, despite the trauma they face from their past. Over time, these two will fall in love with each other, helping them heal in the process.
3Memories of the Sword
Lee Byung-hun, Kim Go-eun, and Jeon Do-yeon are some of the big names associated with the 2015 filmMemories of the Sword, which blends action, romance, and the historical genres together to create a pretty entertaining movie. Set in the Goryeo period, three swordsmen lead an uprising and are devastated by a betrayal. Several years later, one of them, despite having moved on with her life, has a daughter who goes out on a path of revenge for her slain father, who was one of the original three swordsmen. Park Heung-sik wrote and directed the film.
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