Ji Hyun-woo is a South Korean actor and musician. He was formerly the lead guitarist for Korean indie rock band :ko:더 넛츠|The Nuts and is best known for his leading role in the cable TV series Queen and I.
Career
2003–2012: Beginnings and rising popularity
Ji Hyun-woo officially made his debut as an actor in 2003. His popularity increased in 2004 with the youth drama You Will Know, and sitcom-turned movie Old Miss Diary. He was named the "Nation's Little Brother" due to his popularity. Besides acting, Ji is also talented musically. He started as a session guitarist for the second album of Korean band :ko:문차일드|Moonchild. Then in 2004, he along with Park Joon-shik and Kim Hyun-joong formed rock band :ko:더 넛츠|The Nuts. In 2005 Ji played Danny Zuko in a Korean staging of the musical Grease, which released its cast recording. He has also contributed to the soundtracks of several of his films and television series. The same year, he became a host of the music program Music Bank. Ji made his big screen debut in the film Fly High. Ji continued to star on the small and big screen, among them the TV dramasGolden Apple, Over the Rainbow, Merry Mary, My Sweet Seoul, My Precious You, Invincible Lee Pyung Kang, Becoming a Billionaire, and A Thousand Kisses. He also appeared in the films Attack the Gas Station 2, and Mr. Idol. In 2011 Ji released his first solo single Crescendo, comprising three songs which Ji wrote and composed, and which was produced by his older brother Ji Hyun-soo who is also a member of rock band N.EX.T. He was one of the season 2 hosts of Invincible Youth, a variety program based on members of popular girl groups experiencing the rural countryside of Korea. In 2012, he starred in the fantasy romance Queen and I on cable channel tvN, in which he played a time-traveling Joseon scholar who falls in love with an actress in the 21st century.
2012–2014: Military service
Ji enlisted for his mandatory military service on August 7, 2012, with the Chuncheon 102nd Reserve Forces. He was due to enlist in July but it was delayed for one month while he recovered from a back injury suffered during the filming of Queen and I. In January 2013, Ji starred in the military musical The Promise. It was co-produced by the Ministry of National Defense and Korea Musical Theatre Association, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice. Running from January 9 to 20 at the National Theater of Korea, the musical is centered around a group of soldiers who keeps a promise made to each other during the 6.25 war. He was discharged on May 6, 2014.
2014–present: Return to entertainment
For his first post-army project, Ji was cast as a genius songwriter/musician who helps the heroine become a trot singer despite his distaste for the musical genre, in the romantic comedy seriesTrot Lovers. Then in 2015, he played a naive, idealistic homeroom teacher who helps a housewife masquerading as a high school student put an end to school violence in Angry Mom. A major turning point in Ji's career followed as the protagonist of the critically acclaimed cable series , a webtoon adaptation that tackled social injustice when temps are laid off by a big-box store. In 2016, Ji signed with Dream Tea Entertainment. He next starred in SBS' thriller Wanted. In 2017, Ji starred in MBC's weekend drama Bad Thief, Good Thief alongside Seohyun, playing multiple roles in the drama. In 2018, Ji starred in True Fiction, a black comedy that satirizes politicians. The same year, Ji starred in the medical drama Risky Romance. In 2019, Ji is set to star in the romance melodrama Love in Sadness.
Personal life
At the press conference for the last episode of Queen and I on June 7, 2012, Ji made the surprise public declaration: "I wanted to make this confession in front of the fans who enjoyed our drama. I sincerely love Yoo In-na. After days of media frenzy and speculation, the couple were spotted on a date on June 17, 2012. Yoo confirmed their relationship on her radio show on June 18, 2012, saying the two had developed feelings for each other while filming the drama. On May 14, 2014, their respective agencies confirmed in a press release that the couple had broken up.
