South Korean actor Lee Jung-Jae took the world by storm when he played Seong Gi-hun in the new Netflix hit series Squid Game. Jung-Jae plays the lead role in the survival drama series, in which he is portrayed as a driver and a gambling addict. Seong Gi-hun, the character played by Jung-Jae, lives with his mother and suffers from financial problems. He can barely provide the support needed for his daughter. Gi-Hun joins Squid Game with 455 other people risking their lives to win a whopping prize of $38.7 million. Seong hopes to settle his debts with the money that he wins.

Squid Game has reached the top spot on Netflix and in more than 90 countries around the world. It’s the first South Korean show to reach that level of success worldwide. Some people compared the series to the South Korean movie, Parasite. Lee Jung-Jae gained popularity thanks to his role in Squid Game, but the star has much more on his record than the Seong Gi-Hun’s hype.

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8 Lee Jung-Jae Has Been Acting Since 1993

South Korean actor Lee Jung-Jae has been working as an actor for almost 3 decades. The Squid Game star has a record of 22 big-screen movies and 10 TV films and series. He played Han Joon in the 1993 series Feelings and Baek Jae-Hee in the series Sandglass in 1995. In cinema movies, he played Woo-in in the 1998 film An Affair. Other shows he starred, include Il Mare, Last Present, Over The Rainbow, New World, and others. His latest role was as Ray in the 2020 movie Deliver Us From Evil. He also had a cameo appearance this year in the series Delayed Justice as Jang Tae-Joon.

7 Jung-Jae Won 27 Awards And Was Nominated For 19 Others

South Korean actor and the Squid Game star Lee Jung-Jae has won 27 awards. He earned them for the roles he participated in during his acting years. He was also nominated for 19 awards. In 2020, he received the 5th Asia Artist Award for Grand Prize ( Daesang) - Film for his role in Deliver Us From Evil. In 2015, he won the 24th Buil Film Award for Best Actor for his role in Assassination. He also won other awards for his roles in Sandglass, The Young Man, Firebird, City Of The Rising Sun, Asako In Ruby Shoes, The Housemaid, and others.

6 He Owns A Chain Of Italian Restaurants In South Korea

Lee Jung-Jae developed a passion for everything Italian after he starred in 2000 as Han Sung-Hyun in the movie Il Mare, which stands for The Sea in English. Thus, he opened an upscale chain of Italian restaurants in Seoul, the capital of his country, South Korea. Moreover, Lee has designed the interior of Il Mare restaurants since he went to art school after he graduated from university.

5 Lee Also Has Multiple Other Businesses

Actor Jung-Jae also owns a real estate development company, an entertainment label, and various businesses with other partners. His real estate company goes by the name Seorim C&D which he opened in 2008. Moreover, Lee and actor Jung Woo-Sung became best friends after starring in the movie City Of The Rising Sun in 1999. The actor's friendship turned into a business relationship with the 2 founding together several companies, including their entertainment label, The Artist Company.

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4 Jung-Jae Is Dating Businesswoman Lim Se Ryung

Lee declared in 2015 that he’s dating the daughter of the super-wealthy chairman of Korean food giant Daesang Group, Lim Se Ryung. Lee’s girlfriend is a mother of two children, which she had with her ex-husband, the vice chairman of Samsung, Lee Jae-Yong. The couple divorced in 2009. Se-Ryung is a businesswoman and is set to inherit a whopping wealth after her father passes away. Before getting into an official relationship with Lim, Lee dated South Korean actress Kim Min-Hee from 2003 to 2006.

3 He Takes Care Of His Health And Fitness

Lee Jung-Jae started working as a fashion model in South Korea and was named the youngest Korean actor at 27. Additionally, he won the 2nd Elle Style Award for the Male Super Icon in 2018 and the 51st Baeksang Arts Award for the Instyle Fashionista Award in 2015. The South Korean actor takes care of his looks and his body. It’s clear from his pictures that he frequently hits the gym and maintains a strict diet. His role as middle-aged Seong Gi-Hun in Squid Game doesn’t give Lee’s sexy body the credit it deserves.

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2 Lee Jung-Jae Doesn’t Need The $38.7 Million Prize Of Squid Game

Lee Jun-Jae and his longtime best friend and business partner actor Jung Woo-Sung jointly own what’s worth $38 million in real estate. They purchased last year a building worth $30 million near the Apgujeong Rodeo station. Moreover, it was revealed that Lee makes an annual income of around $3.6 million. With all those sources of income, and with the revenues of the celebrity expected to skyrocket after his new hit series, there’s no doubt that Lee Jung-Jae does not need to adopt any of the Squid Game sadistic practices to grow his wealth.

1 The South Korean Star Is Set To Produce His First Upcoming Movie

After Squid Game, celebrity Lee Jung-Jae has much on his agenda. He will star as Ko Chang-Sun in the upcoming Wiretap movie, also known as Do-Cheong. Additionally, he will be producing and directing his first-ever spy action drama movie, Hunt. Lee will also star in the movie as Park Pyung-Ho. Lee’s friend Jung Woo-Sung plays the role of Kim Jung Doo in Hunt. Other cast members include Jeon Hye-Jin and Jin Seon-Kyu.

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