Lee Jae-wookhas quickly risen to become one of themost popular Korean dramaand movie actors in recent years, and he’s only just getting started with his career as an actor. Born in Seoul, Lee stormed onto the scene after appearing as a supporting character in the Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye dramaMemories of the Alhambra, and audiences were captivated by him immediately despite having a smaller role in the show. Despite that beinghis first formal acting role, Lee was booked for main casts in other Korean television shows immediately after his run withMemories of the Alhambra.
Two years later, he was cast as a male lead for the first time inDo Do Sol Sol La La Sol, which won him accolades for his performance. Then, in 2022, he portrayed the main character of theseriesAlchemy of Souls, despite originallydeclining the role, cementing his status as one of the top Hallyu actors of the new generation. Lee has appeared in only 11 different shows and movies so far, many of which have provided entertainment in a wide variety of genres and characters. That said, these are Lee Jae-wook’s best ones that have come out so far.
11Kiss Sixth Sense
Released in 2022, the dramaKiss Sixth Sensewas adapted from a popular webtoon and web novel of the same name. Yoon Kye-sang, Kim Ji-seok, and Seo Ji-hye star in the show. Seo portrays Hong Ye-sool, who, one day, suddenly begins to have visions in the middle of being kissed. Her visions are of the future and what’s to come, but things get a little shaky when she somehow accidentally ends up kissing her boss and having a vision of them being together romantically. Forced to act normal in the workplace despite having this knowledge, things get even harder for her when her ex-boyfriend comes back into the picture. Lee Jae-wook makes a brief cameo in the series.
10The Battle of Jangsari
The first movie role Lee took on,The Battle of Jangsariis a historical war story set during the middle of the Korean War. It tells the story of a group of soldiers that were students for the South Korean army. They were to distract the incoming North Korean army and cut off their supplies so the Incheon Landing could occur, while, at the same time, an American war correspondent (portrayed by Megan Fox) reports from the scene. This was based on a true story from the Korean War: the Battle of Jangsari. The movie starred Fox, Kim Myung-min, Choi Min-ho, and Lee Jae-wook, among others.
9Memories of the Alhambra
Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye star in the Korean dramaMemories of the Alhambra, which came out in 2018. Hyun Bin portrays a CEO of a company, Yoo Jin-woo, who ventures out to Spain to meet the inventor of a new AR game (Park Chan-yeol). But when the game’s inventor goes missing, Yoo ends up staying at the inventor’s sister’s hostel in the heart of the city. However, the game begins to blend with reality, as situations that should have only occurred in the world of the video game end up happening in the real world. Yoo Jin-woo has to discover what’s next before it’s too late for everyone.
8Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol
Do Do Sol Sol La La Soltells the story of a formerly wealthy pianist named Goo Ra-ra (Go Ara). Born into a family that has money, she loses everything and decides to start her life elsewhere. But when she arrives at her new home, she ends up crossing paths with a part-timer who seems quite thoughtful. He helps her out around town, especially as she prepares to open her music studio to teach children how to play the piano, and their relationship evolves throughout the series. Lee Jae-wook portrays Sunwoo Joon, the part-time worker who continues to appear in Ra-ra’s life.
Related:11 of the Most Wholesome Korean Dramas to Watch
7When the Weather Was Fine
Park Min-young and Seo Kang-joon star in the 2020 seriesWhen the Weather Was Fine, and Lee Jae-wook can be spotted in the series portraying the character Lee Jang-woo, a friend of Seo Kang-joon’s character. In the show, Park’s character is a cellist who quits her job in the big city of Seoul and ends up back in the town from her childhood. This brings an entirely new set of memories back to the surface, especially when her former classmate (Seo) turns out to be her next-door neighbor. As the winter cranks up and the need for heat increases, the two grow closer and overcome their shared past.
6Search: WWW
Search: WWWcame out in 2019, but it increasingly feels relevant as technology continues to expand and increase across the world. Three women characters are the protagonists of this television series, and each of them works at one of two top companies for technology in South Korea. With business being an increasing priority for each of their companies, this leads to a toxic relationship from a work-life balance and some potential avenues to find a job elsewhere. Romance also becomes a factor in all of these women’s plans throughout, as it shows up in unexpected ways.
5True Beauty
The Korean dramaTrue Beautydeals with several relevant themes for youths around the world in its subject matter. Set at a Korean high school campus,True Beautyfollows Lim Ju-kyung, a girl with serious confidence issues after being bullied by her classmates for her appearance. When she attends a new school, she decides she is going to become better at makeup, and is dubbed a “goddess” by her new classmates. At her new school, she befriends a couple of her male classmates, creating a complicated love triangle between the three as both of them end up falling in love with her by the drama’s end.
4Move to Heaven
In the Netflix seriesMove to Heaven, Tang Jun-sang and Lee Je-hoon portray an uncle and nephew who clean houses for a living. The family runs a company where they clean the homes of the recently deceased, and Tang’s character is also struggling with his Asperger’s Syndrome throughout this process. The series focuses on a new job they have in each episode, exploring what these objects and stories meant to the deceased before they, unfortunately, passed on. Lee makes several cameos throughout the series as a friend of the uncle’s.
Related:The 20 Best Korean Dramas for Newcomers to the Genre
3Extraordinary You
Extraordinary Youwas only the second time Lee landed a role in the main cast, and it came out in 2019. He stars in the show with Rowoon, Kim Hye-yoon, and Lee Na-eun, among others. Ahigh school girl(Kim) attends a well-known academy, but her world is shaken up when she realizes that her universe is a comic book story. She realizes her fate in the story isn’t something she wants, and decides to take matters into her own hands. Messing up the original trajectory of the story, she meets a nameless student (Rowoon) and befriends him, creating a completely different path than expected.
2Kill Boksoon
Jeon Do-yeon stars in the 2023 movieKill Boksoonas Gil Bok-soon, a sought-after assassin who struggles with being a mother. She works for one of the top companies for murders, but at home, she doesn’t understand what her daughter is often trying to say to her. In actuality, her daughter is just a lesbian, but she has been unable to admit that to anyone except her girlfriend. Bok-soon’s company is willing to turn their back on her after she deliberately fails a mission they trusted her with, and, after realizing the extent of what she has done, Bok-soon must learn how to survive against the same people who kept her fed.
