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THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 524
1983 —   ACTOR

UMTAE-GOO

1983South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year he turned 24, he debuted in the film Epitaph. In 2012, his brother Um Tae-hwa’s short film Forest won the grand prize at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.

In 2013, he played a lead role in Um Tae-hwa’s feature Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls. In 2015, he played Woo-gon in Coin Locker Girl and the auxiliary policeman Lee Seung-jun in Minority Opinion.

The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 33, he played the Japanese police officer Hashimoto in The Age of Shadows. The film drew 7.5 million admissions, and Xportsnews names it among the works that introduced Um Tae-goo to a wide audience.

In 2017, he appeared in A Taxi Driver. In 2018, he appeared in The Great Battle. In 2019, he took a lead role in a drama for the first time in OCN’s Save Me 2, and played the lead character, Byung-gu, in the film My Punch-Drunk Boxer.

In 2020, Night in Paradise, in which he appeared, was selected as an out-of-competition title at the Venice International Film Festival. In 2021, Night in Paradise was released on Netflix.

In 2023, he made a friendship appearance in his brother’s film Concrete Utopia and a special appearance in Cobweb.

In 2024, he signed an exclusive contract with TEAMHOPE and played Seo Ji-hwan in JTBC’s My Sweet Mobster. He also appeared on You Quiz on the Block, and Disney+ released Light Shop.

In 2025, he took on an entertainment MC role for the first time in the Workman spin-off Dansun Nodong: Workman Oejeon, and reports said he would appear in the drama Born Guilty. In 2026, the film Wild Sing was released.

Um Tae-goo (born 1983) debuted in the film Epitaph in 2007, the year he turned 24, and became known for playing Hashimoto in The Age of Shadows on Sep 7, 2016, the year he turned 33.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 22 records2007 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 24 · 2007
  2. 29 · 2012
  3. 30 · 2013
  4. 32 · 2015
  5. 32 · 2015
  6. 33 · 2016
  7. 34 · 2017
  8. 35 · 2018
  9. 36 · 2019
  10. 36 · 2019
  11. 37 · 2020
  12. 38 · 2021
  13. 40 · 2023
  14. 40 · 2023
  15. 41 · 2024
  16. 41 · 2024
  17. 41 · 2024
  18. 41 · 2024
  19. 42 · 2025
  20. 42 · 2025
  21. 43 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2007–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Um Tae-goo when he debuted?
He debuted in the film Epitaph in 2007, the year he turned 24.
How old was Um Tae-goo when he became famous?
He became known in 2016, the year he turned 33, for playing the Japanese police officer Hashimoto in The Age of Shadows. Xportsnews names the film among the works that introduced him to a wide audience. Sports W, however, describes him as an actor who made his name in the independent film Ingtoogi in 2013, the year he turned 30.
How old was Um Tae-goo when he first led a drama?
He took his first drama lead in OCN’s Save Me 2 in 2019, the year he turned 36. In film, he played a lead role in his brother Um Tae-hwa’s Ingtoogi in 2013, the year he turned 30.
What is Um Tae-goo’s Netflix work?
The film Night in Paradise, released on Apr 9, 2021, the year he turned 38.
How old is Um Tae-goo?
Born in 1983, he turns 43 in 2026 (42 to 43 as of Oct 6, 2026). His birthday was not confirmed in articles.
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

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.

COLLECTION524Um Tae-goo / UM TAE-GOO

Film & TV · South Korea
1983 —

Sources and method38 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1983: the year of the event minus 1983, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. YTN (Korean) · Um Tae-goo joins Born Guilty ↗Debuted in the 2007 film Epitaph
  2. The Fact (Korean) · Wild Sing interview ↗Says he caught the public’s eye in small roles in A Taxi Driver and The Age of Shadows
  3. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Forest wins the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival grand prize ↗July 5, 2012: Um Tae-hwa’s Forest won the grand prize at the 11th festival
  4. Sports W (Korean) · Um Tae-goo, an actor profile ↗Nov. 6, 2024: lists the short Forest (2012) among his works; says he became known as the idle young man Tae-sik in Ingtoogi
  5. Newsculture (Korean) · Ingtoogi ↗Released in Nov. 2013, directed by Um Tae-hwa
  6. Joynews24 (Korean) · Ingtoogi interview ↗Nov. 15, 2013: Um Tae-goo and Ryu Hye-young, the two leads of Ingtoogi
  7. Newsway (Korean) · Coin Locker Girl press screening ↗Press screening Apr. 20, 2015; released Apr. 29
  8. Topstarnews (Korean) · Coin Locker Girl ↗Released in 2015; played Woo-gon; 1.47 million admissions
  9. Joynews24 (Korean) · The Age of Shadows passes 1 million ↗Released Sept. 7, 2016
  10. Xportsnews (Korean) · The Age of Shadows and Song Kang-ho ↗Names The Age of Shadows among the works that introduced Um Tae-goo to a wide audience; 7.5 million admissions
  11. Newsen (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block, Um Tae-goo ↗Says The Age of Shadows is the film that made his presence felt
  12. Sportsseoul (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block, Um Tae-goo ↗Says he began to draw attention in The Age of Shadows
  13. Topstarnews (Korean) · Wild Sing press conference ↗Reunited with Kang Dong-won after Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (released Nov. 16, 2016); plays an idol rapper
  14. Korea Lecturer News (Korean) · A Taxi Driver ↗Released Aug. 2, 2017
  15. Sports Hankook (Korean) · Um Tae-goo interview ↗A sergeant at an unpaved checkpoint in A Taxi Driver; Tae-goo in the Netflix film Night in Paradise
  16. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The Great Battle passes 4 million ↗Released Sept. 19, 2018; Um Tae-goo among the cast
  17. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Save Me 2 ↗Episode 6 of the OCN Wednesday-Thursday original Save Me 2 aired May 23
  18. Maeil Business (Korean) · Save Me 2 interview ↗His first lead role in a drama
  19. Newsen (Korean) · Night in Paradise released ↗Released Apr. 9, 2021 at 4 p.m.
  20. Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Concrete Utopia ↗Passed 2 million admissions on Aug. 15, 2023, the seventh day after release
  21. OSEN (Korean) · Concrete Utopia friendship appearance ↗Aug. 16, 2023: a friendship cameo in his brother’s film
  22. The Fact (Korean) · Cobweb press conference ↗Jung Woo-sung, Yum Hye-ran and Um Tae-goo in special appearances; released Sept. 27
  23. Sports Donga (Korean) · My Sweet Mobster ↗Jan. 10, 2024: casting announced; plays Seo Ji-hwan
  24. Sports Donga (Korean) · TEAMHOPE exclusive contract ↗Reported May 29, 2024
  25. Sports Today (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block ↗Appeared on the Aug. 7, 2024 broadcast
  26. Herald POP (Korean) · Light Shop ↗Released on Disney+ on Dec. 4, 2024
  27. JTBC (Korean) · Light Shop ranks second globally ↗Um Tae-goo among the cast
  28. The Sen News (Korean) · Dansun Nodong: Workman Oejeon ↗Reported May 21, 2025; first aired May 28; his first time as an entertainment MC since his debut
  29. Korea Lecturer News (Korean) · Wild Sing ↗Released June 3, 2026; Kang Dong-won, Um Tae-goo, Park Ji-hyun and Oh Jung-se in the lead roles
  30. Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Um Tae-goo interview ↗Born in 1983
  31. Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Horror film Epitaph ↗Reported Aug. 10, 2007; released on the 1st
  32. OSEN (Korean) · Ingtoogi interview ↗Reported Nov. 19, 2013; released on the 14th; drew attention as an independent film of the year
  33. MBN Star (Korean) · Minority Opinion stills ↗Reported June 19, 2015; plays the auxiliary policeman Lee Seung-jun; released on the 24th
  34. Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned, brothers in film ↗Plays Tae-sik in Um Tae-hwa’s Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned
  35. Star News (Korean) · Save Me 2 ↗Reported May 15, 2019; first aired on the 8th
  36. Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · My Punch-Drunk Boxer interview ↗Reported Oct. 15, 2019; plays the lead, Byung-gu; released on the 9th
  37. News1 (Korean) · Night in Paradise invited to Venice ↗July 29, 2020: selected as an out-of-competition title at the 77th Venice International Film Festival
  38. The Fact (Korean) · My Sweet Mobster ↗Reported June 27, 2024; broadcast began on the 12th; plays Seo Ji-hwan

Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.