The year he turned 18, he debuted as an exclusive model for the jeans brand STORM. In 1997, he started acting on SBS’s Yeoja.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 21, he played Kim Chul-soo in the MBC sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls. Veritas Alpha writes that he made his name with it.
In 2002, he appeared on the big screen for the first time in Can’t Live Without Robbery. Electronic Times introduced him as a TV star. In 2003, he played General Ari of Baekje in SBS’s Thousand Years of Love.
In January 2004, SBS’s Something Happened in Bali began. Hankyoreh and Sports Kyunghyang write that he rose to stardom with it. That November, KBS2’s I’m Sorry, I Love You began, and it ended in December after 16 episodes.
In 2005, he entered boot camp and served as a social service agent. In April 2007, he completed his service.
In 2008, the film Rough Cut passed 1 million viewers two weeks after opening, and he shared the Blue Dragon Film Awards best new actor prize that year. In 2009, he returned to drama with Cain and Abel and set up his agency, 51K. In 2011, the film Always was shown as the opening film of the Busan International Film Festival. In 2012, the film A Company Man passed 500,000 viewers in four days.
In 2013, he worked with Gong Hyo-jin in SBS’s Master’s Sun. In 2017, the film The Battleship Island drew 970,000 viewers on its first day. In 2018, the film Be with You opened, and he won the Grand Prize at the December MBC Drama Awards for My Secret Terrius.
In May 2019, his relationship became public. On Apr. 7, 2020, he registered his marriage and chose to donate instead of holding a ceremony. In 2022, he appeared in MBC’s Doctor Lawyer, and in October he appeared on You Quiz on the Block. In 2024, he appeared in Alienoid: Return to the Future as the Designer.
In June 2025, Netflix’s Mercy for None was released. In June 2026, SBS’s Agent Kim Reactivated began, and it ended in July. The finale drew 23.0% nationwide.
So Ji-sub (born Nov 4, 1977) debuted as a model in 1995, the year he turned 18, and became known through the MBC sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls in 1998, the year he turned 21. Some outlets write that he rose to stardom with SBS’s Something Happened in Bali in 2004, the year he turned 27, and he won a drama awards Grand Prize for the first time at the MBC Drama Awards in 2018, the year he turned 41.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Entered show business as a model.
Source 02 · TopStarNews (Korean) · Pictorial article · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Agent Kim interview · opens in a new tab Only the year appears in the articles; the month and day could not be confirmed.Started acting in a drama.
Source 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Agent Kim interview · opens in a new tab The air date could not be confirmed.Played Kim Chul-soo, opposite Lee Eui-jung. Veritas Alpha writes that he made his name with this sitcom, and TopStarNews writes that he made his face known and built public recognition.
Appeared on the big screen for the first time, as the computer programmer Choi Kang-jo. Electronic Times calls it a TV star’s first big-screen debut.
Source 04 · Electronic Times (Korean) · Film debut · opens in a new tabPlayed General Ari of Baekje in the 20-episode special drama.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · First broadcast of Thousand Years of Love · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Thousand Years of Love, Sung Yu-ri interview · opens in a new tabAppeared as Kang In-wook. Episode 12, on Feb. 8, drew a 30.4% rating (Nielsen Media Research).
Source 07 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · TV picks for Jan. 3 and 4 · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Kookmin Ilbo (Korean) · Popularity of Something Happened in Bali · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · I’m Sorry, I Love You press conference · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Herald Muse (Korean) · Jo Sung-mo music video · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Rough Cut casting · opens in a new tab The first-broadcast date is based on the broadcast schedule. Hankyoreh (Nov. 2004) and Sports Kyunghyang (Apr. 2008) write that he rose to stardom with this work.Played Cha Mu-hyeok. The first episode drew a 16.1% rating (TNS Media Korea).
Source 12 · Joy News 24 (Korean) · I’m Sorry, I Love You · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Agent Kim interview · opens in a new tab Outlets differ on which of the two 2004 works lifted him to stardom. In a Yonhap News Agency interview (July 2026), he says this drama opened the first page of his acting life.Hankyoreh reports that more than 400,000 posts had been made on the show’s website since it began airing.
Source 13 · Star News (Korean) · I’m Sorry, I Love You finale · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Hankyoreh (Korean) · I’m Sorry, I Love You ends · opens in a new tab The finale’s rating was not given because outlets’ figures differ by survey method.Entered boot camp on the same day as Lee Jung-jin and then served as a social service agent.
Source 15 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Top 10 entertainment news of 2005 · opens in a new tabKangwon Ilbo reports in its year-end review that he donated money to people hit by heavy rain damage.
Source 16 · Kangwon Ilbo (Korean) · 2006 Gangwon entertainment year in review · opens in a new tab The article does not say when he donated.Finished his service. Sports Kyunghyang writes that he was afterward mentioned as the top casting choice in Chungmuro, the Korean film industry.
Source 17 · Edaily (Korean) · First ad after discharge · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Rough Cut casting · opens in a new tabCo-starred with Kang Ji-hwan and played the gangster Kang-pae. It drew 1,000,260 viewers nationwide by Sept. 24, two weeks after opening.
Source 18 · Newsen (Korean) · Rough Cut opens · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Rough Cut hits 1 million · opens in a new tabShared the award with Kang Ji-hwan.
Source 20 · MyDaily (Korean) · Korean Film Awards · opens in a new tabPlayed Cho-in. Edaily reports that it trailed KBS2’s Again, My Love in the ratings at first, then hit its own best rating in April.
Source 21 · Edaily (Korean) · Cain and Abel · opens in a new tab The first-broadcast date could not be confirmed.Star News reports that he set up 51K with acquaintances he had met at his former agency.
Source 22 · Star News (Korean) · Agency 51K founded · opens in a new tab The Oct. 5, 2009 article says it was set up recently. The exact founding date could not be confirmed.Met viewers in the Wednesday-Thursday drama Road No. 1.
Source 23 · TV Report (Korean) · Road No. 1 · opens in a new tabPlayed a former boxer. It was the opening film of the 16th Busan International Film Festival, and 735,159 people had seen it by Oct. 30.
Source 24 · Star News (Korean) · Box office for Always (Only You) · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Herald Business (Korean) · Sports films · opens in a new tabSource 26 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Busan International Film Festival · opens in a new tabIt drew 468,300 viewers over its first three-day weekend and passed 500,000 in four days.
Source 27 · Star News (Korean) · A Company Man opens · opens in a new tabPlayed Joo Joong-won in a romance with Gong Hyo-jin. OSEN reports that the first episode drew a 13.6% rating.
Source 28 · SBS E! Entertainment News (Korean) · Gong Hyo-jin · opens in a new tabSource 29 · OSEN (Korean) · Master’s Sun · opens in a new tabSports Today reports that he took part as an investor in Chanran, which imports foreign independent and art-house films.
Source 30 · Sports Today (Korean) · Investment in Chanran · opens in a new tabSource 31 · Edaily (Korean) · Entering film distribution · opens in a new tab Edaily (Aug. 2026) says he has invested since 2012, so the year differs.A health-and-healing romantic comedy in which he co-starred with Shin Min-a.
Source 32 · Star News (Korean) · Oh My Venus · opens in a new tabAppeared with Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and Lee Jung-hyun. Newsis reports 970,516 viewers on opening day, a record for an opening at the time.
Source 33 · Newsis (Korean) · The Battleship Island opening day · opens in a new tabAppeared with Son Ye-jin; the film passed 1 million viewers on Mar. 20, seven days after opening.
Source 34 · Newsis (Korean) · Be with You · opens in a new tabCo-starred with Jung In-sun as Kim Bon.
Source 35 · Nocut News (Korean) · My Secret Terrius · opens in a new tabSource 36 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · My Secret Terrius behind the scenes · opens in a new tabWon the Grand Prize for My Secret Terrius, after the Top Excellence Award.
Source 37 · Newsis (Korean) · 2018 MBC Drama Awards · opens in a new tabHis agency said at the time that it was too early to talk about marriage.
Source 38 · News1 (Korean) · Marriage registration and donation · opens in a new tab The partner is not a public figure, so the name is not given. The month comes from News1’s reference to last May.His agency said they became a legal couple that day by registering the marriage. Instead of a ceremony, he decided to donate 50 million won to Good Neighbors for people struggling during COVID-19.
Source 38 · News1 (Korean) · Marriage registration and donation · opens in a new tab The spouse is not a public figure, so the name is not given.It aired as a Friday-Saturday drama, and the first episode drew a 5.2% nationwide rating (Nielsen Korea). It ended on July 23.
Source 39 · Sports World (Korean) · Doctor Lawyer · opens in a new tabSource 40 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Doctor Lawyer ends · opens in a new tabHis first variety appearance in four years, since Little Cabin in the Woods in 2018, and his first since marrying.
Source 41 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block appearance · opens in a new tabSource 42 · OhmyNews (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block, episode 164 · opens in a new tabA film imported and distributed by Chanran, with So Ji-sub and 51K credited as joint presenters.
Source 43 · OhmyNews (Korean) · Fallen Leaves · opens in a new tabThe sequel to the 2022 first part; he played the Designer, the head of the group.
Source 44 · Sports Today (Korean) · Alienoid: Return to the Future · opens in a new tabSource 54 · Sports Today (Korean) · Alienoid: Return to the Future review · opens in a new tabPlayed Gi-jun, who sets out for revenge. Newsen reports 7.6 million views in its second week of release.
Source 45 · Newsen (Korean) · Mercy for None, Cha Seung-won · opens in a new tab Views are viewing hours divided by the total runtime of the title.Played Kim, a father who was once a special agent. The first episode drew 9.5% nationwide, and per Yonhap News Agency it passed 20% in four episodes.
Source 46 · TopStarNews (Korean) · Buzz around Agent Kim · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Agent Kim interview · opens in a new tabThe finale drew 23.0% nationwide. JoongAng Ilbo writes that it was No. 1 on Netflix’s global non-English TV list for three straight weeks and calls it his second heyday since I’m Sorry, I Love You.
Source 47 · Star News (Korean) · Agent Kim finale · opens in a new tabSource 48 · OSEN (Korean) · Agent Kim finale day · opens in a new tabSource 49 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Agent Kim · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1995–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Film & TV · South Korea
Nov 4, 1977 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1977: the year of the event minus 1977, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.03 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.