15 Korean Actors Over 40 Who Prove That Age Is Just A Number

Everyone might be talking about younger actors such as Park Bo-gum and Park Seo-jun on social media, but that doesn't mean the older Korean actors should be ignored. After all, they come with a wealth of experience, and still look as good as their younger colleagues. Here are 15 Korean actors over 40 who should be on your radar. If you haven't watched any of their works, now's a good time to start.

15 Korean Actors Over 40

1. Lee Dong-wook

Date of birth: Nov 6, 1981
Age: 44

Lee Dong-wook entered the acting arena in 1999, which means he already has a quarter century of experience under his belt! He rose to fame with 2005 rom-com My Girl, and has remained one of the most popular Korean actors since. In 2016, he acted alongside his real-life best friend Gong Yoo in Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, further catapulting his fame to greater heights. His most recent work, The Divorce Insurance, is a rom-com in which he acts as Noh Ki-joon, a successful actuary who has undergone three divorces. Based on his experience, he decided to set up a new kind of insurance: divorce insurance.

Dong-wook is known for his youthful looks. When he appeared as a guest on a YouTube channel, the host Meenoi was surprised when she found out that the Korean actor's over 40, and commented that he looked younger than his actual age.

2. Gong Yoo

Date of birth: July 10, 1979
Age: 46

Dong-wook’s best friend Gong Yoo is two years older than him. However, he made his acting debut two years after Dong-wook in 2001. It was his 2007 drama Coffee Prince that shot him to fame. However, he is not only about rom-coms. When he was doing his military service, he read the book The Crucible, which was based on a true story about sexual abuse cases that took place in Gwangju Inhwa School, a school for the deaf. He initiated the production of the movie adaptation, which was released in 2011, propelling the case to public scrutiny. Following public outrage, the police reopened investigations into the case, and a revised bill involving sex crimes against minors and the disabled was passed. We stan a man who stands for justice! His more recent works include Squid Game 2 and The Trunk.

3. Jo Jung-suk

Date of birth: Dec 26, 1980
Age: 45

You might recognise Jo Jung-suk from K-drama Hospital Playlist. Or Architecture 101. Or You Are The Best!. Or Oh My Ghost. He has acted in so many iconic roles since his television debut in 2011, and he never fails to deliver each time. That’s probably because he didn’t enter the scene as a greenhorn – the actor had been acting in musicals since 2004 before debuting on the small screen. Apart from his acting chops, he is also known for his vocals – a testament to his musical background – and has sung the soundtracks of a few dramas and movies.

The Korean actor, who turns 45 this year, is allegedly the person behind the YouTube channel Cheonggyesan Daengi Records, on which an anonymous man uploads song covers under a pen name. Netizens found out about the existence of the channel after IU uploaded an Instagram story to thank the person for doing a cover of “Love Wins All”, and speculated that it belonged to the actor because of the guitar used in the video – it was a custom guitar gifted to the actor by his fans. His company didn’t deny or admit the speculation. Jung-suk has a daughter with his wife, Gummy, who is one of the most popular solo singers in South Korea.

4. Zo In-sung

Date of birth: Jul 28, 1981
Age: 44

Up till a few years ago, everyone knew Zo In-sung as the good-looking actor who could act. But in recent years, he has surprised everyone with his quick wit and humour, and even cooking skills on variety shows. Since 2021, he has appeared on the reality show Unexpected Business, alongside his good friend Cha Tae-hyun, where the pair takes care of a mart for some time. His ramen-making skills have earned praise from customers in the show, and when the show was renewed for more seasons, new customers told him that they looked forward to trying his signature dish when they found out filming for Unexpected Business would take place in their neighbourhood. His acting accolades are no joke either – he has won many awards since 2001, including the Grand Prize (Daesang) for his role in It’s Okay, That’s Love.

5. Hyun Bin

Date of birth: September 25, 1982
Age: 43

Those newer to K-dramas might know him as Ri Jeong-hyeok from Crash Landing On You, but this A-lister has had a flourishing career even before that popular drama. Hyun Bin made his debut in 2003 (his first acting project in 2002 was stopped halfway), and rose to fame a few years later after his notable role in My Lovely Sam Soon. He continued to take on various roles on both the small and silver screens, showing off his versatility as an actor.

He also captured many hearts in South Korea and beyond with his role in Secret Garden, in which he acted as the CEO of a department store who switched bodies with a stunt actress. Hyun Bin married Son Ye-jin, his co-star from The Negotiation and Crash Landing On You, in Feb 2022. They welcomed their first child in November of the same year.

6. Ju Ji-hoon

Date of birth: May 16, 1982
Age: 43

Ju Ji-hoon should be a familiar face to most K-drama fans, whether longtime Korean dramas fans or those just exploring the genre. After all, he gained international popularity through his role in Princess Hours, a rom-com that had everyone and their neighbour gripped in 2006. He has continued to take on various roles on both the small and silver screens since then, from being a grim reaper in Along with the Gods to a crown prince in zombie drama Kingdom. Most recently, he made waves as a trauma surgeon in the Netflix drama, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.

7. Lee Joon-gi

Date of birth: April 17, 1982
Age: 43

With his boyish looks, it's hard to imagine this Korean actor's over 40! Since his breakout roles in 2005 in The King and the Clown and shortly after, My Girl, Lee Joon Gi has acted in numerous hit dramas, including Iljimae, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Criminal Minds and Flower of Evil. One thing about him is that he rarely uses a stunt double for his fight scenes, as he is well-versed in martial arts. The actor is known to be very close to his co-stars even after filming. For example, he and IU remain good friends to this date, and they even appeared on Men on a Mission together, and in March, he attended her concert in Seoul.

8. Jung Woo-sung

Date of birth: Apr 22, 1973
Age: 52

You can’t say you know Korean cinema if you don’t know Jung Woo-sung. After all, this A-lister has two decades of acting experience and numerous achievements under his belt. He is the epitome of versatility in acting as he executes every role perfectly, whether as a hearing-impaired painter, a commander, or even South Korea’s president. He is a CEO in real life, after co-founding talent agency Artist Company with his best friend and fellow actor Lee Jung-jae. The company houses actors such as Ha Jung-woo and Go A-ra.

9. Jang Hyuk

Date of birth: December 20, 1976
Age: 49

When you think of a Korean actor known for action scenes, one of the first names that comes to mind is probably Jang Hyuk. The actor is a former taekwondo athlete and has practised Jeet Kune Do for more than a decade. But his reason for doing his own stunts is not only because of his athletic abilities – he revealed in a 2020 interview that he made the decision after seeing a stuntman get injured on the set of a movie. Of course, that is not to say he only takes on roles in action movies or dramas. The Korean actor who is over 40 has acted in rom-coms such as You Are My Destiny and Wok of Love. Jang Hyuk has been married for 16 years, and has three kids.

10. Namkoong Min

Date of birth: March 12, 1978
Age: 47

Namkoong Min is one of the most versatile Korean actors, and this is evident from the roles he has taken on so far. From playing a serial killer in The Girl Who Sees Smells, to helming a comedy drama in Good Manager, and a quirky lawyer in One Dollar Lawyer, he continues to surprise viewers with his performance in every new role. If you’re a fan of detective shows and the mystery genre, you’d love Distorted, Awaken, and The Veil, which are all binge-worthy in their own way. In 2022, the actor married model and actress Jin Ah Reum, whom he dated since 2015, after meeting on the set of the movie Light My Fire, where he was the director and she, the actress. Coincidentally, he will be acting as a film director who falls in love with an aspiring actress in an upcoming drama, Our Movie.

11. Kim Nam-gil

Date of birth: March 13, 1980
Age: 45

If you were one of the ardent fans of historical Korean drama Queen Seondeok, you would remember Kim Nam-gil as male lead Bidam. Did you know that Bidam wasn’t intended to be one of the main leads? The character was so popular among the public that the writers gave him a bigger role in the narrative. He continued to push boundaries with his choice of movie and drama roles, including playing a killer in Memoir of A Murder, and a Joseon-era physician who time-travelled to modern-day Seoul. In 2019, he acted as a priest who was a former agent from the National Intelligence Service in The Fiery Priest. The role earned him numerous awards, including a Grand Prize (Daesang). Season 2 of the drama aired in November last year.

Besides being an actor, Nam Gil is also the founder and CEO of Gilstory, a culture and art non-profit organisation that promotes culture and arts, while raising relief funds for various causes. He recently held a fan meet in Seoul, which made headlines for being five hours long.

12. Song Seung-heon

Date of birth: Oct 5, 1976
Age: 49

The OG fans of Korean dramas would definitely know Song Seung-heon, best known for his role in 2000 drama, Autumn in My Heart, alongside Song Hye-kyo. Yes, he was the original “oppa”, and the man responsible for the many tears you shed while watching the drama as a teenager. He has since acted in numerous dramas and movies, with his last drama being the web series Black Knight, alongside Kim Woo-bin. Seung-heon was previously in a three-year relationship with Chinese actress Liu Yifei, but they reportedly ended their relationship in 2018.

13. Ji Sung

Date of birth: Feb 27, 1977
Age: 48

If there is a green flag of a husband, we would say it’s Ji Sung. The actor, who is married to actress Lee Bo-young, has demonstrated his sweet side on numerous occasions, making fans and colleagues envious of their loving relationship. But that doesn’t mean he is only capable of starring in romance dramas. The acting chameleon has a varied filmography, with one of his most memorable roles being Cha Do-hyun in Kill Me, Heal Me, in which he acted as a business heir with a dissociative identity disorder. In recent years, he seems to have done more crime dramas, from The Devil Judge, and most recently, Connection. He will be acting as a judge in an upcoming drama, Judge Lee Han-young.

14. Go Soo

Date of birth: Oct 4, 1978
Age: 47

Go Soo is an actor you don’t see very often, but he makes an impact every time he appears on your screen. His career has spanned more than 25 years, with his more recent works being Missing: The Other Side and Parole Examiner Lee. He is known for his sharp acting and versatility in portraying any character. He has also quite a few awards under his belt, including the Top Excellence Award for his role in Missing: The Other Side. Go Soo tied the knot in 2012, and has three kids with his non-celebrity wife.

15. Lee Je-hoon

Date of birth: Jul 4, 1984
Age: 41

You might recognise him from the popular Korean drama Taxi Driver. However, that was not his breakout role. He gained mainstream popularity in 2012, through the Korean movie Architecture 101. He took on other roles before enlisting that same year. In 2016, he acted in popular drama Signal, which will be getting a season two next year. Fun fact: he was a biotechnology major at Korea University, but transferred to the School of Drama at Korea National University of Arts, when he realised that he had a passion for acting.

Which other Korean actors over 40 years old do you know and love?

This article was originally published on March 25, 2024 and updated on April 22, 2025.