Ji Sung

Ji Sung dated park Sol-mi, his co-star from ‘All In’ from 2003 to 2006.

He met his future wife, Lee Bo-Young, on the sets of ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’ in 2004. They officially announced their relationship in 2007.

In 2013, Ji Sung got engaged to Lee Bo-young on August 2, announcing their engagement via social media sites. The couple got married on September 27, 2013, at Aston House in Seoul.

Ji Sung was born on February 27, 1977. His birth name is Kwak Tae Geun. Both his parents were in the field of education and hence, they expected Ji to follow in their footsteps as well.

However, Ji chanced to see the movie ‘Rain Man’ starring Dustin Hoffman in his sophomore year of high school. Hoffman’s performance had a tremendous impact on the young man and he decided to be an actor.

He graduated from the Hanyang University with Theatre and Film as his major.

Ji Sung started his career with the drama ‘KAIST’ in 1999. He was noticed by Song Ji-na, the famous songwriter at his audition, who then wrote a character for him in the show. Around this time, he adopted the stage name ‘Ji Sung’ upon the suggestion of his manager.

He then played a few minor characters in the dramas ‘March, ‘Popcorn’, and ‘I Want to Keep Seeing You’. In 2001, he played the character of Oh Joon Soo in ‘Delicious Proposal’ and starred in a guest episode of ‘Open Drama Man and Woman’.

Sung got the role of Jang Seok-jin in the television drama ‘Wonderful Days’ in 2001, a considerably bigger part than his previous work. He further played the role of Lee Seung-joon in the KBS2 drama ‘Sunshine Hunting’ in 2002.

A major breakthrough came when Sung was cast as the second lead in the 2003 gambling drama, ‘All In’. Sung himself approached the casting directors for the role and got the part. The series was a smashing hit and Sung became wildly popular. His performance as ‘Choi Jung-Won’ was praised by the audience and critics alike.

In a departure from his regular roles, Ji Sung starred in a period drama based on the Joseon dynasty, ‘The King’s Woman’. He essayed the titular role of Prince Gwanghae.

Ji Sung rose to prominence with the gambling drama ‘All In’ in 2003, where he played the second main lead. The finale of the series had a record viewership rating of 47.7%, placing it among the top 50 most-watched episodes of all time in Korean television.

His work in the medical drama ‘New Heart’ in 2007, as a compassionate but academically poor cardiothoracic resident surgeon, won him acclaim.

Sung’s revenge drama ‘Swallow the Sun’ in 2009 was well-received commercially and critically. Sung had to undergo rigorous training to portray thelead character who is sent to prison on a faraway island.

He has starred in several period dramas such as ‘The King’s Woman’, ‘Kim Su-ro’ of ‘The Iron King’, ‘The Great Seer’, and many more.He is known for his intense roles in dramas such as ‘Royal Family’, ‘Defendant’, and others.

Sung earned a cult fan following with his work in ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’, where he essayed the role of a millionaire with dissociative identity disorderon account of being a victim of child abuse. His portrayal of seven multiple personalities garnered rave reviews from audiences.