Career
He rose to fame in the leading role of Dong-hae in daily drama series Smile Again (2010-2011), followed by notable roles in Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011), Empress Ki (2013-2014), and Healer (2014-2015). Ji began his career as a struggling actor in musical theatre. He made his onscreen debut in the 2006 film Days.. and had a minor role in the 2008 television drama You Stole My Heart.
However, the film Sleeping Beauty, released in 2008, is considered his official acting debut.
The family drama received 40% ratings, and shot Ji to stardom out of obscurity. He followed that with a supporting role in Lee Joon-gi"s Hero.
In 2010, Ji was cast in his first starring role in the 159-episode daily drama Smile, Dong-hae (also known as Smile Again). Playing a Korean-American short track speed skater, Ji trained under a former national speed skater in order to lend those scenes as much realism as possible, spending four to five hours daily at the ice rink.
He then played the titular character in 2011 action historical drama Warrior Baek Dong-soo.
Later that year, he again played the lead role in cable drama Bachelor"s Vegetable Store, based on the true success story of Lee Young-seok, a young man who turned a tiny 350-square-feet vegetable store in 1998 into a nationwide franchise with 33 stores. In his first villain role, Ji played a pianist who envies his older brother"s genius and natural gift for music in 2012 melodrama Five Fingers. Conflicts and passions come to a head as the brothers compete over their father"s piano manufacturing business and the same woman.
Ji returned to the stage in 2013 with The Days, playing a presidential bodyguard who went missing 20 years ago along with a mysterious female companion.
The Days was a jukebox musical using the folk rock songs of Kim Kwang-seok. His popularity rose further when Ji played Toghon Temür (also known as Huizong), the 16th emperor of the Yuan Dynasty who marries the Goryeo-born titular character in the historical drama, Empress Ki, which aired from late 2013 to 2014.
Ji then starred in Healer from December 2014 to February 2015. He took martial arts lessons for his role as a mysterious errand guy in the Song Ji-na-penned series.
He is also set to star as a reckless rookie constable alongside Sol Kyung-gu"s apathetic veteran officer in the period-comedy film Two Constables, the fourth installment in the Two Cops franchise directed by Kang Woo-suk.