The year he turned 17, he debuted in the entertainment business as an ad model for the clothing brand Ziozia. In 2000, he began acting as Kim Seok-joo, a rebellious high school student, in KBS2’s School 3.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 20, his name became known as he and Park Kyung-lim played a couple in MBC’s New Nonstop. Around the same time he played Lee Kyung-ho in SBS’s Piano.
In 2002, he played the lead opposite Jeon Do-yeon in SBS’s Shoot for the Stars, which reached a peak rating of 24.6%. In 2003, he appeared in the film Madeleine. In 2004, he won the Top Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards and the Best Actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards for Something Happened in Bali. In 2005, he appeared in SBS’s Spring Day.
In 2006, he appeared in the film A Dirty Carnival and, late in the year, won Best Actor at the Korean Film Awards. In 2008, he appeared in his first historical film, A Frozen Flower. In 2009, he volunteered for the Air Force, and the following year was appointed a publicity ambassador of the Military Manpower Administration. In 2011, he was discharged.
In 2013, he returned to a work after five years with SBS’s That Winter, the Wind Blows. In 2014, he appeared in It’s Okay, That’s Love and, late in the year, won the SBS Drama Awards Best Couple Award with Gong Hyo-jin. In 2016, he made a special appearance in tvN’s Dear My Friends.
In 2017, he returned to the screen after nine years with the film The King and, late in the year, won the Popular Star Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. In 2018, he played Yang Man-chun in The Great Battle. In 2021, he won the Star of the Year award at the Buil Film Awards for Escape from Mogadishu.
In 2023, he appeared in both the film Smugglers and Disney+’s Moving. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for Smugglers. In 2025, he founded the management company Basecamp Company with Cha Tae-hyun.
In 2026, he appeared in Humint and Hope. Hope was in the competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and Possible Love was in the competition at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion.
Zo In-sung (born Jul 28, 1981) debuted in 1998, the year he turned 17, as an ad model for the clothing brand Ziozia, and became known in 2001, the year he turned 20, on MBC’s New Nonstop. He has since appeared in A Dirty Carnival, Escape from Mogadishu and Smugglers, among other works.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Entered the entertainment business as a model.
Source 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Zo In-sung and Kim Min-hee dating · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · From teen star to his 20th year · opens in a new tabBegan acting as Kim Seok-joo, a rebellious high school student from a troubled home.
Source 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Zo In-sung and Kim Min-hee dating · opens in a new tabSource 02 · Sports Seoul (Korean) · From teen star to his 20th year · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Hankyung.com (bnt News) · Zo In-sung ten years ago · opens in a new tabHis name became known as he and Park Kyung-lim played a couple in the sitcom New Nonstop. Around the same time he played Lee Kyung-ho in SBS’s Piano.
Played Sung-tae, opposite Sora, played by Jeon Do-yeon. It aired from November 2002 to January the next year and reached a peak rating of 24.6%.
Source 09 · Edaily (SPN) (Korean) · On Air special · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Nocut News (Korean) · A regular on all three networks · opens in a new tabSource 11 · TenAsia (Korean) · Ideal couples picked by Hong Seok-cheon · opens in a new tabPlayed Ji-seok, who has a one-month contract romance with his middle school classmate Shin Min-a.
Source 12 · Hankyoreh 21 (Korean) · Nothing to wonder about but sex · opens in a new tabAppeared with Ha Ji-won and So Ji-sub. That year he won the Top Excellence Award for an actor at the SBS Drama Awards and the Best Actor award in television at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
Source 13 · OhmyNews (Korean) · Zo In-sung’s signature crying scene · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab The broadcast date was not confirmed. OhmyNews wrote that the drama swept the SBS Drama Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards that year; the specific category names are from Wikipedia.Appeared with Go Hyun-jung.
Source 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab From Wikipedia and not confirmed in news reports.Played Byung-doo, a third-rate thug in organized crime.
Source 15 · Maeil Business (Korean) · A Dirty Carnival opens · opens in a new tabSource 16 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · Legends born in 1981 · opens in a new tabWon for A Dirty Carnival. The nominees were Ryu Seung-bum, Hwang Jung-min, Han Suk-kyu and Ryu Deok-hwan.
Source 14 · Newsis (Korean) · Best Actor at the film awards · opens in a new tabAppeared in his first historical film.
Source 16 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · Legends born in 1981 · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab The release date is from Wikipedia and was not confirmed in news reports.Volunteered for the Air Force and served. The following February he was appointed the 7th publicity ambassador of the Military Manpower Administration.
Source 20 · Newsis (Korean) · Appointed military service ambassador · opens in a new tabFinished a little over two years of service and was discharged.
Source 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab The discharge date (May 4, 2011) is from Wikipedia and was not confirmed in news reports.Played Oh Soo, abandoned by his parents as a child. His co-star was Song Hye-kyo.
Source 17 · Polinews (Korean) · That Winter, the Wind Blows press conference · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab According to Wikipedia, a comeback film planned after A Frozen Flower (2008) fell through, so this was his first work in five years.Played Jang Jae-yeol, a popular mystery novelist and radio DJ. His co-star was Gong Hyo-jin.
Source 18 · Donghaeng Media Sidae (Korean) · It’s Okay, That’s Love · opens in a new tabWon with Gong Hyo-jin for It’s Okay, That’s Love.
Source 19 · Herald POP (Korean) · SBS Drama Awards Best Couple Award · opens in a new tabMade a special appearance as the boyfriend of Park Wan, played by Go Hyun-jung.
Source 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab From Wikipedia and not confirmed in news reports.Returned to the screen after nine years. Played the prosecutor Park Tae-soo, who dreams of absolute power.
Source 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab The release date is from Wikipedia and was not confirmed in news reports.Won for The King with Na Moon-hee, Sol Kyung-gu and Kim Su-an.
Source 21 · Herald POP (Korean) · Blue Dragon Popular Star Award · opens in a new tabPlayed Yang Man-chun, the Goguryeo lord who stood against the Tang army. It passed 4 million admissions on its 11th day, Sept. 30, and nearly 5.5 million people saw it in all.
Source 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabSource 22 · YTN (Korean) · The Great Battle passes 4 million · opens in a new tab The release date follows the YTN article on the 4 million milestone, which says it opened on the 19th.Played Kang Dae-jin, an embassy counselor from the Agency for National Security Planning, appearing with Kim Yoon-seok. The film depicts the escape of North and South Korean embassy staff during the 1991 Somali civil war.
Source 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabSource 24 · TV Chosun (Korean) · Escape from Mogadishu release confirmed · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Zo In-sung (actor) · opens in a new tab The release date is from Wikipedia; news reports confirmed only a release this summer.Won for Escape from Mogadishu.
Source 23 · TenAsia (Korean) · Buil Film Awards Star of the Year · opens in a new tabPlayed Sergeant Kwon. He appeared with Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ah.
Source 34 · Edaily (Star in) (Korean) · Smugglers confirmed for July release · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Blue Dragon Best Supporting Actor · opens in a new tabPlayed the agent Kim Doo-shik, who can fly. Han Hyo-joo played his wife and Lee Jung-ha his son, and the 20 episodes were released in stages from Aug. 9 to Sept. 20.
Source 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabSource 26 · Maeil Business (Korean) · The Moving effect · opens in a new tabSource 27 · The Electronic Times (Korean) · Moving press conference · opens in a new tabWon for Smugglers. OBS Gyeongin TV wrote that Moving that year brought him a second heyday.
Source 25 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Blue Dragon Best Supporting Actor · opens in a new tabSource 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabFounded a new management company with Cha Tae-hyun.
Source 28 · Newsen (Korean) · Basecamp Company founded · opens in a new tabAn espionage action film, his third with director Ryoo Seung-wan, with Park Jung-min and Park Hae-joon.
Source 05 · OBS Gyeongin TV (Korean) · K Actor Lab · opens in a new tabNa Hong-jin’s film was the first Korean film in the competition in four years. The Palme d’Or went to Fjord, and Hope was not on the list of winners.
Source 29 · Ajunews (Korean) · Hope misses out at Cannes · opens in a new tabAppeared with Hwang Jung-min, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in a story about residents who face an unidentified being.
Source 30 · MBC (iMBC) (Korean) · Hope confirmed for July release · opens in a new tabSource 35 · Dailian (Korean) · Plans for a Hope sequel · opens in a new tabIn Lee Chang-dong’s Netflix film, he played Sang-woo, husband of the documentary director Ye-ji, played by Cho Yeo-jeong. It was invited to the competition and won the Silver Lion, the Grand Jury Prize.
Source 32 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Possible Love wins the Silver Lion · opens in a new tabSource 33 · News1 (Korean) · Zo In-sung and Lee Min-ho, a second heyday · opens in a new tabSource 31 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Zo In-sung’s double good news, Venice · opens in a new tabSource 37 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Possible Love Grand Jury Prize in Venice · opens in a new tab The date is that of the Sept. 12 closing ceremony in local time reported by Yonhap News Agency.END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1998–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Film & TV · South Korea
Jul 28, 1981 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1981: the year of the event minus 1981, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.