Cho Jin-woong

Acting

Cho Jin-woong

Born 1976-03-03 · Busan, South Korea

Cho Jin-woong (조진웅) is a South Korean actor. Born Jo Won-joon on April 3, 1976, he is best known for his roles as Sejong's loyal bodyguard in Deep Rooted Tree (2011), a mobster in Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012), and a mysterious villain in A Hard Day (2014). He also gained recognition and praise for his performance as a detective in the television series Signal (2016).

Acting credits

The Handmaiden poster
8.2

1930s Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, a new girl, Sook-hee, is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, Hideko, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle Kouzuki. But the maid has a secret. She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler posing as a Japanese Count to help him seduce the Lady to steal her fortune.

The Handmaiden

2016

The Outlaws poster
7.7

In Chinatown, law and order is turned upside down when a trio of feral Chinese gangsters arrive, start terrorizing civilians, and usurping territory. The beleaguered local gangsters team up with the police, lead by the badass loose cannon Ma Seok-do, to bring them down. Based on a true story.

The Outlaws

2017

A Frozen Flower poster
6.9

A despotic king orders his male lover to produce an heir for him with his Queen. But when they instead fall in love, will tragic consequences follow?

A Frozen Flower

2008

A Dirty Carnival poster
7.0

A small-time thug who collects debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.

A Dirty Carnival

2006

The Admiral: Roaring Currents poster
7.0

Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.

The Admiral: Roaring Currents

2014

A Hard Day poster
7.1

After trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.

A Hard Day

2014

Believer poster
7.2

After a traumatic event, a drug trafficker turns sides and conspires with a dangerously ambitious undercover police officer to bring down the mysterious kingpin of a major drug cartel.

Believer

2018

The Spy Gone North poster
7.3

South Korea, 1993. An agent of the National Intelligence Service is sent to Beijing to infiltrate a group of North Korean officials with the ultimate goal of obtaining information about their nuclear program.

The Spy Gone North

2018

Assassination poster
7.3

In Japanese-occupied Korea, three freedom fighters are assigned a mission to assassinate a genocidal military leader and his top collaborator. But the plan goes completely awry amidst double-crossings, counter-assassinations, and a shocking revelation about one of the assassins' past.

Assassination

2015

Nameless Gangster poster
6.9

Ik-hyeon, a corrupt officer, joins forces with another crook, Hyung-bae, to continue his illegal activities before he loses his job. Eventually, he decides to escape and pin the blame on his partner.

Nameless Gangster

2012

Believer 2 poster
6.7

A determined detective continues his search for the truth behind Asia's largest drug organization and its elusive boss he has unfinished business with.

Believer 2

2023

The Policeman's Lineage poster
6.6

A by-the-book police officer is assigned to secretly investigate a team leader who believes that the rules shouldn't stop an investigation. As the officer investigates further, his own attitudes begin to mirror the team leader's.

The Policeman's Lineage

2022

The Front Line poster
7.2

In 1951 ceasefire is declared, but two remaining armies fought their final battle on the front line Towards the end of the Korean War, a South Korean battalion is fiercely battling over a hill on the front line border against the North in order to capture a strategic point that would determine the new border between two nations. The ownership of this small patch of land would swap multiple times each day. Kang is dispatched to the front line in order to investigate the tacit case that’s been happening there.

The Front Line

2011

Hwayi: A Monster Boy poster
7.4

After being kidnapped as a small child and raised by the five men who abducted him, a teenage boy is now forced to join their life in crime.

Hwayi: A Monster Boy

2013

Once Upon a Time in High School poster
7.3

A model student transfers to the notorious Jungmoon High School known for its severe corporal punishment by teachers and power struggles between school gangs.

Once Upon a Time in High School

2004

Intimate Strangers poster
7.2

A group of people meet for the first time in a long time and play a game that reveals each other's secrets.

Intimate Strangers

2018

The Devil's Deal poster
6.1

Hae-woong, an assembly member candidate, is taken out of the running because he became a thorn in the side of a local bigwig, Sun-tae. Hounded by loan sharks, due to defaulting a campaign loan, he decides to get his hands dirty. He steals classified government’s information about an urban development plan and obtains the help of a local gang leader, Pil-do, by promising hefty real estate profit. Now Hae-woong re-enters the race and tries to take revenge on Sun-tae. Unbeknownst to him, his messy journey through politics has only just begun.

The Devil's Deal

2023

The Guard Post poster
5.5

A small band of Korean soldiers is sent to patrol near a guard post and they find corpses scattered all over the area. They launch an investigation to find the truth behind the mystery.

The Guard Post

2008

Take Off poster
6.1

Cha Heon-tae, a Korean-American, was adopted with his sister to American parents. He appears on a Korean television program in search of his mother. Since Heon-tae is a trained alpine skier, he is approached by Coach Bang who wants to recruit members for a new national ski jumping team for the approaching 1998 Winter Olympics.

Take Off

2009

My Brother poster
7.0

The story of two brothers, growing up in 1970s Korea, who each take two completely different paths. One goes to school to become a doctor, the other becomes a gangster. Their story is told through flashbacks after one of them is murdered.

My Brother

2004

Perfect Number poster
6.7

A brilliant math teacher formulates the perfect cover-up after his neighbor murders her abusive ex-husband.

Perfect Number

2012

Perfect Game poster
6.9

The Lotte Giants' Choi Dong-won and the Haitai Tigers' Seon Dong-ryeol are rival pitchers in 1980s baseball. The film reenacts the legendary match of May 16, 1987, which baseball fans today still recall as "the perfect match," when Choi and Sun compete as pitchers for the last time.

Perfect Game

2011

Kundo: Age of the Rampant poster
6.6

In 1862, amidst the rule of the late Joseon dynasty in Korea, a band of fighters named Kundo rise against the unjust authorities.

Kundo: Age of the Rampant

2014

Salut d'Amour poster
7.9

Sung-chil works at the Jang-soo Store which is owned by Jang-soo. Sung-chil is stubborn and has a bad temper, but he changes after meeting Geum-nim. Geun-nim runs a flower shop and her daughter Min-jung does not like her meeting Sung-chil.

Salut d'Amour

2015

Behind the camera