Lee Jae-wook

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Jae-wook (Korean: 이재욱; born May 10, 1998) is a South Korean actor and model. He made his television debut in Memories of the Alhambra (2018–2019) and film debut in The Battle of Jangsari (2019). Followed by roles in the office romance Search: WWW (2019), school series Extraordinary You (2019), and melodrama When The Weather Is Fine (2020); he played his first leading role in the romantic comedy Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020). He next starred in fantasy period drama Alchemy of Souls (2022–2023) which marked his breakthrough role.

Lee Jae-wook
Lee in July 2024
Born	(1998-05-10) May 10, 1998 (age 26) Seoul, South Korea[1]
Education	Chung-Ang University (Department of Theater and Film)
Occupations	Actor model
Years active	2018–present
Agent	Log Studio
Height	187 cm (6.14 ft)[2]
Awards	Full list
Korean name
Hangul	이재욱
Revised Romanization	I Jaeuk
McCune–Reischauer	I Chaeuk
Website	logstudio.kr

Education

Lee Jae-wook attends Chung-Ang University's Programme of Theater and Film.^[3] As of January 2023, he is taking a leave of absence.^[4]

Career

2018: Career beginnings

In December 2018, Lee started his acting career as a supporting character in the hit tvN television series Memories of the Alhambra as a hacker-programmer, starring Hyun Bin, whose agency VAST Entertainment recruited him immediately.^[5][6] In 2020, his photoshoot for the magazine The Masterpiece alongside actress Park Lee-hyun and fellow labelmate went viral. It was taken in the summer of 2018, before his official acting debut.^[7]

2019: Rise in popularity

In June 2019, Lee joined the main cast of tvN's Search: WWW alongside Lee Da-hee, which became a hot topic every episode.^[8][9] The sales of Cine21's over-the-month issue of "2019 Rising Star" surged because of Lee, who gained popularity for his role in the drama.^[10] In September of the same year, he made a successful big screen debut in the war film The Battle of Jangsari.^[11] In October of the same year, he played as the second male lead in MBC's Extraordinary You as the female lead's childhood friend-fiancé.^[12] The show's success earned Lee the title of Best New Actor at the 2019 MBC Drama Awards, and he was also nominated for Best New Actor – Television at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.

2020–present: Transition to lead roles and breakthrough

In February 2020, Lee was cast in a supporting role in the JTBC television series When The Weather Is Fine alongside Yang Hye-ji. In May of the same year, he was cast as the main male lead in the KBS2 television series Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol as the male counterpart of the main protagonist, played by Go Ara. He won the Excellence Award for Actor in a Miniseries for his outstanding performance in this drama at the KBS Drama Awards. He was also awarded Rookie of the Year and Actor of the Year – Rookie at the Asia Artist Awards and the 18th Brand of the Year Awards, respectively. Lee is recognized and commended for his serious and diverse acting range.^[13] Before the year ended, he appeared in a cameo role as his former drama character from Extraordinary You in tvN's True Beauty alongside Kim Hye-yoon.^[14]

In April 2021, Lee signed with C-JeS Entertainment, after his contract with the previous agency had expired.^[15] In May of the same year, he made a special appearance in the Netflix series Move to Heaven.^[16]

In June 2022, Lee returned to the small screen with the tvN period fantasy drama Alchemy of Souls alongside Jung So-min. In the same month, he appeared in a cameo role as an actor in the Disney+ series Kiss Sixth Sense.^[17] In October, he was awarded the Global Excellence Award at the Korea Drama Awards for his contribution globally to the Hallyu wave.^[18] He was also honored with the Asia Special Award at the 17th Asia Model Awards.^[19] In December of the same year, he reprised his role as Jang Uk in Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow, alongside Go Youn-jung.^[20] At the end of 2022, he then won the Best Actor Award at the Asia Artist Awards.^[21]

Lee held his first fan meeting 2023 Lee Jae-wook Asia Tour Fan Meeting starting from Seoul on January 14, 2023.^[22][23]

Endorsements

In February 2020, Lee became the new model for the contemporary casual brand AD HOC and the street casual brand N DOZEN.^[24] He is one of the most popular endorsers, working with high-end brands such as Prada and Lancôme, as well as promoted Dior, Nike, Berluti, Armani, Zegna, EX NIHILO, and Fendi.^{[25][26][unreliable source?][27][28]} He has been featured in many prominent fashion publications.^[29] In January 2023, Lee became the new model for the premium scalp care brand, ScalpMed.^[30] In February 2023, Lee was selected as the brand model for the skin care brand, La Mer.^[31]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2019	The Battle of Jangsari	Lee Gae-tae		[32]
2023	Kill Boksoon	young Cha Min-kyu	Netflix film	[33]

Television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
2018–2019	Memories of the Alhambra	Marco Han		[34]
2019	Search: WWW	Seol Ji-hwan		[35]
	Extraordinary You	Baek Kyung		[36]
2020	When the Weather Is Fine	Lee Jang-woo		[37]
	Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol	Sunwoo Joon		[38]
	True Beauty	Baek Kyung	Cameo (Episode 4)	[39]
2022–2023	Alchemy of Souls	Jang Uk	Part 1–2	[40][41]

Web series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2021	Move to Heaven	Kim Soo-cheol	Cameo (Episode 3–7)	[16]
2022	Kiss Sixth Sense	The male lead in the film 'Haru'	Cameo (Episode 3, 5, 9)	[42]
2023–2024	Death's Game	Cho Tae-sang	Cameo	[43][44]
2024	The Impossible Heir	Han Tae-oh		[45][46][47][48]
2025	Dear Hongrang	Hong Rang		[49]

Ambassadorship

Year	Organization / Event	Notes	Ref.
2022	Korea Tourism Organization	Honorary Public Relations Ambassador	[50]

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	Ref.
APAN Star Awards	2021	Best New Actor	Extraordinary You	Nominated	[51]
		Popular Star Award, Actor		Nominated	[52]
Asia Artist Awards	2020	Rookie of the Year	Lee Jae-wook	Won	[53]
	2022	Popularity Award – Actor		Nominated	[54]
		Best Actor Award	Alchemy of Souls	Won	[55]
Asia Model Awards[a]	2022	Asia Special Award		Won	[57]
Baeksang Arts Awards	2020	Best New Actor – Television	Extraordinary You	Nominated	[58]
Brand of the Year Awards[b]	2020	Actor of the Year – Rookie	Lee Jae-wook	Won	[60]
Dong-A.com's Pick	2019	Haeju Award		Won	[61]
KBS Drama Awards	2020	Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol	Won	[62]
		Best Couple Award	Lee Jae-wook (with Go Ara) Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol	Nominated
Korea Broadcasting Awards[c]	2021	Popularity Award	Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol	Nominated	[63]
Korea Drama Awards	2022	Global Excellence Award	Alchemy of Souls	Won	[64]
Korea First Brand Awards	2023	Rising Star Award	Lee Jae-wook	Nominated	[65]
MBC Drama Awards	2019	Best New Actor	Extraordinary You	Won	[66]
		Best Couple Award	Lee Jae-wook (with Kim Hye-yoon and Rowoon) Extraordinary You	Nominated
Seoul International Drama Awards	2021	Outstanding Korean Actor	Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol	Nominated	[67][68]

Notes

1. Asia Model Awards is an annual ceremony that recognizes Asia's top models and celebrities.^[56]
2. Brand of the Year Awards is an awards ceremony hosted by the Korean Consumer Brand Committee, overseen by the Korean Consumer Forum and the Korea Economic Daily.^[59]
3. Korea Broadcasting Awards is held every year by the Korea Broadcasting Association to commemorate Broadcasting Day.