The year he turned 19, he placed first in the -65kg class of the Mr. Korea student division and won a bronze medal in the same class at the National Sports Festival student division. In 2011, he placed first in the -70kg class of the spring university bodybuilding championship. In 2014, he placed first in the -70kg class of Mr. Seoul.
In February 2017, he appeared on MBC’s I Live Alone with his childhood friend, the singer Zion.T, at a PC cafe, and that year he was confirmed for the Fitness Star Championship. In 2018, he placed first in his class at the Shawn Rhoden Classic but lost the overall and missed out on a pro card.
In November 2019, he won his class at Olympia Amateur Japan in Tokyo and placed in the top three overall, earning an IFBB pro card. In 2020, he made his pro debut during the COVID-19 pandemic and placed third.
In 2021, he appeared as a guest on SAP, hosted by Zion.T on Naver NOW. In 2022, he placed second in 212 bodybuilding at the New York Pro in May and won the Japan Pro in November, qualifying for the Mr. Olympia. That month he also appeared on tvN’s Kick the Number. In 2023, he signed an exclusive contract with the gym wear brand Muscle Armed and appeared on the YouTube show Woomagame. In November, he opened The Maker Gym Ulsan.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 35, he appeared in March as one of the 100 contestants on Netflix’s Physical: 100 Season 2 – Underground. Right after release, it ranked first on Netflix’s global non-English TV chart and entered the top 10 in 87 countries. He also worked as an ambassador for Xtend, HDEX and Zero Spoon.
In 2025, he took part in SPOEX, signed a model contract with the protein supplement brand BUP and co-developed a product with it. In August, The Maker Gym, where he is based, signed an agreement with Pro Brand. In May 2026, he was scheduled to hold a fan signing with Kim Kang-min, Kim Geon-woo and Park Jae-hoon at Shinsegae Centum City in Busan.
Jang Sung-yeop (born Nov 22, 1989) debuted in 2008, the year he turned 19, by winning the Mr. Korea student division, and in 2022, the year he turned 33, won the IFBB Japan Pro and qualified for the Mr. Olympia. He became known when he appeared on Netflix’s Physical: 100 Season 2 on Mar 19, 2024, the year he turned 35.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Placed first in the -65kg class of the Mr. Korea student division. That year he also won a bronze medal in the -65kg class of the student division at the National Sports Festival.
Source 01 · Digital Times (Korean) · A dark horse at the Fitness Star contest · opens in a new tabPlaced first in the -70kg class of the spring university bodybuilding championship.
Source 01 · Digital Times (Korean) · A dark horse at the Fitness Star contest · opens in a new tabPlaced first in the -70kg class of Mr. Seoul.
Source 01 · Digital Times (Korean) · A dark horse at the Fitness Star contest · opens in a new tabAppeared in the episode of his childhood friend, the singer Zion.T, playing games with him at a PC cafe.
Source 02 · Star News (Korean) · I Live Alone, the PC cafe · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Hankyung (Korean) · I Live Alone, life in the recording studio · opens in a new tabWas confirmed for the muscle middleweight division of the 2017 Fitness Star Championship.
Source 01 · Digital Times (Korean) · A dark horse at the Fitness Star contest · opens in a new tabPlaced first in his class but lost the overall to Sibusiso Cotelo and did not earn a pro card.
Source 04 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Shawn Rhoden Classic · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Olympia Amateur Japan pro cards · opens in a new tabWon his class in the bodybuilding division of Olympia Amateur Japan in Tokyo and placed in the top three overall, earning an IFBB pro card.
Source 05 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Olympia Amateur Japan pro cards · opens in a new tabCompeted in his pro debut despite the difficulty of holding contests during the COVID-19 pandemic and placed third.
Source 09 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Wins the Japan Pro · opens in a new tabAppeared as a friend and guest on season 2 of SAP, hosted by Zion.T on Naver NOW.
Source 06 · OSEN (Korean) · Zion.T’s SAP guest · opens in a new tabWas competing as an IFBB PRO 212 athlete and running The Maker Gym in Manan-gu, Anyang.
Source 07 · Beyond Post (Korean) · Titan Tech at SPOEX 2022 · opens in a new tabPlaced second in the 212 bodybuilding division of the New York Pro in the U.S., after a close contest with Noel Adama.
Source 08 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Second at the New York Pro · opens in a new tabWon the 212 bodybuilding division of the Japan Pro in Tokyo and became the only Korean athlete that year to qualify for the Mr. Olympia.
Source 09 · Monster Gym via Naver Sports (Korean) · Wins the Japan Pro · opens in a new tabAppeared on a football-themed sports variety show with Park Joo-ho, Lee Keun-ho, Cheetah and others.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · tvN Kick the Number · opens in a new tabSigned a model and sponsored-athlete contract with the gym wear brand Muscle Armed.
Source 11 · Siminilbo (Korean) · Muscle Armed exclusive contract · opens in a new tabAppeared as one of 32 creators on Woomagame, on the YouTube channel Physical Gallery. He was one of the top vote-getters in real time in the elimination vote of episode 1.
Source 12 · OSEN (Korean) · Woomagame view count · opens in a new tabOpened the Ulsan branch of The Maker Gym, which he runs, the fifth branch and the first franchise center in the Gyeongsang region.
Source 13 · Siminilbo (Korean) · The Maker Gym Ulsan · opens in a new tabAppeared as a bodybuilder among the 100 contestants. Right after release, the show ranked first on Netflix’s global non-English TV chart and entered the top 10 in 87 countries.
Visited the event as an ambassador for the sports nutrition brand Xtend, taking photos and holding a fan signing.
Source 16 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Xtend F45 Playoffs · opens in a new tabTook part in a fan meeting with about 40 IFBB pro athletes.
Source 17 · Sisun News (Korean) · HDEX IFBB PRO fan meeting · opens in a new tabBecame an ambassador for Zero Spoon, a brand of Zero Foods, which makes protein cereal and other products.
Source 18 · MBN via Naver (Korean) · Zero Spoon ambassador · opens in a new tabTook part as an IFBB pro in SPOEX at COEX in Seoul.
Source 19 · Weekly Today (Korean) · SPOEX 2025 · opens in a new tabSigned a model contract with the protein supplement brand BUP.
Source 20 · The Value News (Korean) · BUP model contract · opens in a new tabCo-developed and released the supplement Protein Monster Eight, containing eight kinds of protein, with BUP.
Source 21 · Bizwnews (Korean) · BUP Protein Monster Eight · opens in a new tabPro Brand signed an agreement on health functional foods with The Maker Gym, where he is based.
Source 22 · Seoul Shinmun via Naver (Korean) · Pro Brand MOU · opens in a new tabWas scheduled to hold a fan signing with Kim Kang-min, Kim Geon-woo and Park Jae-hoon at the pop-up of the sportswear brand Apdo at Shinsegae Centum City in Busan.
Source 23 · Gukje News (Korean) · Shinsegae Centum City pop-up · opens in a new tab The report is a preview published two days before the event, and the event itself was not confirmed in news reports.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2008–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
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Sports · South Korea
Nov 22, 1989 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1989: the year of the event minus 1989, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.