Actor Jung Hae-in Bio, Movies And Shows

Jung Hae-in first became widely recognized playing Kim Go-eun’s handsome first love in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin).

Despite it being only a cameo, his looks — striking enough that Gong Yoo himself joked about being jealous — instantly made him “Oppa Tae-hee” in the public eye.

He then went from Something in the Rain‘s “pretty older sister’s” love interest to the nation’s favorite “younger man,” before showing off his action chops as a man who wears a uniform well in D.P.

He’s an actor better suited to being called just that — an “actor” — rather than a “star” capable of both action and melodrama, and one whose next project is always eagerly anticipated: Jung Hae-in.

Actor Jung Hae-in

Born on April 1, 1988, in Seoul, Jung Hae-in was an ordinary student until, right after finishing his college entrance exam in his senior year of high school, he was scouted on the street at COEX while out with friends. As it happened, being scouted sparked his interest in acting, and he went on to study broadcasting and entertainment at university. After completing his mandatory military service, he signed with an agency in 2013 and began his path as an actor.

He had originally planned to pursue biotechnology, but while preparing for auditions at an acting academy, he became drawn to acting and applied to — and was accepted into — a broadcasting and entertainment program. His parents initially opposed his sudden change of career after he entered university, but came around after watching his first stage performance in a production of Grease.

Starting acting relatively late, he went through a stretch of frustration, repeatedly losing auditions to nerves. One day, dissatisfied with his own audition performance, he waited until it ended and begged for one more chance — and got it, only to be turned down again. But the experience taught him something as an actor: he resolved that from then on, he would prepare so thoroughly that he’d never again leave an audition with regrets.

That same year, he made his debut appearing in AOA Black’s music video “MOYA,” and in 2014 he officially debuted in the entertainment industry playing Choi Kang-in in the TV Chosun drama Bride of the Century. The same year, he played Ahn Min-seo, a monk-turned-warrior who protects Crown Prince Sohyeon, in the tvN drama The Three Musketeers, and also appeared in the independent feature The Youth, steadily building his filmography.

The Actor Who Broke Through Playing a First Love

In 2015, he appeared in the drama Blood and the film Salut D’Amour, but at that point he still had little presence as an actor. That changed with a special appearance in Reply 1988, where he played Ho-young, Deok-sun’s first love — a brief role, but one that drew attention for his warm, handsome looks.

In 2016, he played a first love again, this time as Choi Tae-hee in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin), remembered as Kim Go-eun’s first-love “oppa.” Despite a short appearance, he made a strong impression. While his face became widely known thanks to Goblin‘s popularity, the leading role he took on around the same time in Night Light quietly went unnoticed — a disappointment for him.

▶Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin)◀

The Nation’s Favorite Younger Man

Starting in 2017, he grew into lead roles with While You Were Sleeping and Prison Playbook, and in 2018 he finally established himself as a true leading man with Something in the Rain. Playing Seo Joon-hee opposite Son Ye-jin, he won huge affection not through simple cuteness but through the weight of a “younger man” who felt like both a friend and an older brother figure at once.

While filming the scene where his character sees Yoon Jin-ah with another man at a wedding, he immersed himself so deeply in the role that he genuinely trembled with anger and nearly felt sick. The drama’s success turned him into an actor audiences trusted.

Director Ahn Pan-seok, who cast him after watching only three clips and betting on his looks, later praised him by saying that once he was on set, all he could see was the acting, not the face. The project earned him the title “the nation’s younger man” just four years into his career, and he went on to build his filmography largely through romance dramas.

▶Something in the Rain◀

As “Jung Hae-in syndrome” swept the country and catapulted him to stardom, he raised his profile through numerous commercials — but the sudden fame and attention also brought a wave of malicious comments, and he struggled with insomnia. He spent time holed up at home, but coming to terms with the fact that he couldn’t be loved by everyone became a turning point that helped him grow as a person.

In 2019, he starred back-to-back as the romantic lead in the film Tune in for Love and the drama One Spring Night, then showed a new side of himself as a rebellious character in the film Start-Up. Even so, while he earned respect from his peers, box-office luck eluded him for a while — in 2020, he played AI programmer Moon Ha-won in the tvN drama A Piece of Your Mind, which was cut short from 16 to 12 episodes due to poor ratings.

Netflix’s D.P.: The Role That Changed His Filmography

After a long stretch of near-misses, Jung finally found his career-defining role in 2021 with the Netflix series D.P., playing lead character Ahn Jun-ho. Moving away from the soft image tied to his “younger man” image, he transformed into a more masculine, rough-edged character — and the shift paid off at the box office, cementing his place as a fully established actor.

That December, he took on the role of North Korean agent Lim Soo-ho in the JTBC drama Snowdrop, showcasing a range of both action and emotional performance. Through these two projects, he expanded his acting range with a tanned, bulked-up, more masculine image, gaining a male fan base in addition to his existing female fan base. In December 2022, he starred in the Disney+ original series Connect as Ha Dong-soo, a member of a new human species, taking on action, horror, and thriller elements.

▶Snowdrop Blackpink Jisoo & Jung Hae-in◀

In July 2023, the second season of D.P. was a hit, becoming a signature work in his filmography. That November, he made a special appearance in the film 12.12: The Day, set during the December 12 military coup, as Major Oh Jin-ho, chief secretary to the Special Forces commander. Notably, director Kim Sung-soo, who was won over by Jung’s character in D.P., cast him in 12.12: The Day; in his brief but powerful appearance as Major Oh Jin-ho, he became one of the film’s standout scene-stealers.

▶12.12: The Day, Major Oh Jin-ho◀

In August 2024, he took on his first romantic comedy since debut, playing architect Choi Seung-hyo in Love Next Door, delivering a textbook portrayal of first love. That September, he won Best Supporting Actor at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards for the film I, the Executioner.

▶Love Next Door◀

With the film’s success and his acting further recognized, he is set to reprise the same role in I, the Executioner 2 (working title). In 2026, he took the lead in the romantic comedy Our Sticky Love on Netflix, playing boxing coach Jang Tae-ha.

Though it may look as if he suddenly rose to fame as a first love and the nation’s younger man, Jung Hae-in is an actor who grew into one of Korea’s leading handsome stars only after tasting repeated failure at countless auditions. Having built his career from the ground up, he is also known for being especially warm and generous with fans at fan meetings.

He has said that, ironically, it was after becoming an actor that a period of wandering began for him. Whenever a project didn’t do well, he found himself troubled, and he realized that simply sustaining this career over the long term wasn’t easy. He has said that keeping himself in a relatively calm, steady state helps him personally, and that he tries not to swing to extremes of joy or discouragement.

Filmography

Television

2014 — Bride of the Century, Choi Kang-in
2014 — The Three Musketeers, Ahn Min-seo
2015 — Blood, Joo Hyun-woo
2015 — Reply 1988, Kim Ho-young (cameo, ep. 13)
2016 — Yeah, That’s How It Is, Yoo Se-joon
2016 — Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin), Choi Tae-hee (cameo, eps. 7–8)
2016–2017 — Night Light, Tak Ji-woon
2017 — While You Were Sleeping, Han Woo-tak
2017–2018 — Prison Playbook, Captain Yoo Jeong-woo
2018 — Something in the Rain, Seo Joon-hee
2019 — One Spring Night, Yoo Ji-ho
2020 — A Piece of Your Mind, Moon Ha-won
2021–2023 — D.P. (Seasons 1–2), Ahn Jun-ho
2021–2022 — Snowdrop, Lim Soo-ho
2022 — Connect, Ha Dong-soo
2024 — Love Next Door, Choi Seung-hyo
2025 — Spring of the Four Seasons, Ahn Se-hyeon
2026 — Our Sticky Love, Jang Tae-ha
2028 — Lucky Seoul, Kwon I-an

Film

2014 — The Youth, Park Man-jae
2015 — Salut D’Amour, young Kim Sung-chil
2016 — The Moon of Seoul (short film), Ji Pyung
2017 — The King’s Case Note, Heuk-woon
2017 — Conspiracy: Age of Rebellion, Kim Ho
2018 — Heung-boo: The Revolutionist, King Heonjong
2019 — Tune in for Love, Cha Hyeon-woo
2019 — Start-Up, Woo Sang-pil
2020 — P1H: The Beginning of a New World, Han (cameo)
2021 — Unframed – Blue Happiness (short film), Park Chae-young
2023 — 12.12: The Day, Major Oh Jin-ho (cameo)
2024 — I, the Executioner, Park Seon-woo
2026 — Agami, Gon

TV Appearances

2018: Bap Bless You (special appearance), I Live Alone (special appearance)
2019: Happy Together Season 4 (guest), narration for Bear (2018)
2019–2020: Jung Hae-in’s Travel Log (regular cast)
2024: Pingkeulgo (guest)

Music Video

2013: AOA Black, “MOYA”

Awards & Career

2016 — SBS Drama Awards, New Star Award (Yeah, That’s How It Is)
2018 — 13th Soompi Awards, Breakout Actor (While You Were Sleeping)
2018 — 54th Baeksang Arts Awards, Most Popular Actor (Prison Playbook)
2018 — 6th Asia-Pacific Star Awards, Most Popular Actor (TV Drama) and Best Actor (TV Miniseries) (Something in the Rain)
2018 — 2nd The Seoul Awards, Popularity Award and Hallyu Artist Award
2018 — 3rd Asia Artist Awards, Best Emotive, Asia Talent, Artist of the Year
2019 — 10th Popular Culture and Arts Awards, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation
2019 — 4th London East Asia Film Festival, Popularity Award (Tune in for Love)
2019 — 4th Asia Artist Awards, AAA Potential (Actor), Best Icon (Actor)
2019 — 8th Korea Best Star Awards, Best New Star (Tune in for Love)
2019 — MBC Drama Awards, Top Excellence Award – Wednesday-Thursday Drama (One Spring Night)
2020 — 56th Grand Bell Awards, Best New Actor (Tune in for Love)
2022 — 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards, Popular Star Award
2022 — 8th APAN Star Awards, Top Excellence Award – Actor in an OTT Drama (D.P.)
2022 — 8th Asia Star Awards, Beyond Cinema Award
2022 — Asian Academy Creative Awards, Best Actor in a Leading Role (D.P.)
2024 — 9th Dong-A.com’s Pick, “Comeback Veteran”
2024 — 29th Consumers’ Day KCA Culture & Entertainment Awards, Actor of the Year (Audience Choice) (I, the Executioner)
2024 — 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards, Chungjeongwon Popular Star Award, Best Supporting Actor (I, the Executioner)
2025 — Korea First Brand Awards, Actor (Drama) (Love Next Door)
2025 — 10th Financial Day, Prime Minister’s Commendation

Family

His father, Jung Sang-jin (b. 1962), runs an ophthalmology clinic in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and has served as a physician to high-ranking officials, including a prime minister and members of the National Assembly. His mother, Kang Yu-mi (b. 1960), works as a pathologist at a hospital in Seoul and is also active in choral singing, reflecting her strong interest in the arts.

His younger brother, Jung Hae-jun, born in 1995 (seven years his junior), graduated from an engineering program and has completed his military service. While Jung Hae-in describes himself as a reserved eldest son, his brother is known for being more affectionate and easygoing. He is a 29th-generation descendant of the Daesaheon branch of the Naju Jeong clan and a direct fifth-generation descendant of Jeong Hak-yu, the second son of the Joseon-era scholar Jeong Yak-yong (Dasan) — a family lineage tied to the Catholic faith he practices. As an aside, he is a distant relative (31st cousin) of actor Jung Il-woo.

He has said he doesn’t have much dating experience for his age, having had his first girlfriend at 23 after finishing military service. While the number of relationships has been few, he tends to stay in them for a long time; he has said his ideal type is someone whose sense of humor matches his and with whom he can talk easily, and that he’d like to get married in his 40s.

Jung Hae-in Profile

English: Jung Hae-in
Hanja: 丁海寅
Korean: 정해인
Date of birth: April 1, 1988 (age 38)
Hometown: Seoul / Nationality: South Korea
Height: 178 cm / Weight: 70 kg / Blood type: A / MBTI: INTP / Religion: Catholic (baptismal name: Paul)
Education: Seoul Singil Elementary School → Seongnam Middle School → Yeongdeungpo High School → Pyeongtaek University, College of Culture and Arts, Broadcasting Entertainment (B.A.)
Military service: Republic of Korea Army, honorably discharged as sergeant
Family / Marital status: Single
Parents: Father Jung Sang-jin (b. 1962), Mother Kang Yu-mi (b. 1960)
Personal SNS: Official website, Instagram, X (Twitter), fan cafe
Agency: FNC Entertainment
Debut year: 2013