Ji Chang-wook (Korean: 지창욱; born 5 July 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He rose to fame for playing the lead role of daily drama series Smile Again (2010–2011), and gained further prominence with television series Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011), Empress Ki (2013–2014), Healer (2014–2015), The K2 (2016), Suspicious Partner (2017), The Worst of Evil (2023), Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023–2024), and film Fabricated City (2017).
Ji began his career in musical theatre before appearing in the 2006 short film Days..., the 2008 television series You Stole My Heart, and the film Sleeping Beauty.
In 2009, he appeared in My Too Perfect Sons, playing the timid youngest brother who ends up raising his best friend's daughter at just 20 years old. The weekend family drama received over 40% ratings. He then took on a supporting role in the action-comedy Hero.
In 2010, Ji was cast in his first lead role in the 159-episode daily drama Smile Again, playing the role of a Korean-American short track speed skater. Smile Again topped the ratings chart for 15 consecutive weeks, and he was awarded Best Actor in a Daily Drama at the 2010 KBS Drama Awards.
He then played the titular character in the 2011 historical-action series Warrior Baek Dong-soo. Adapted from Lee Jae-heon's manhwa Honorable Baek Dong-soo, it is an origin story about Joseon-era swordsman Baek Dong-soo, showing his early years until political intrigue creates a rivalry with his childhood best friend-turned-enemy. The series topped its timeslot for 13 weeks, and Ji received a New Star Award at the 2011 SBS Drama Awards. Later that year, he played the lead role in the cable drama Bachelor's Vegetable Store, which is based on the true story of Lee Young-seok, a young man who turned a tiny 350-square-foot vegetable store in 1998 into a nationwide franchise with 33 stores.
In his first antagonist role in the melodrama Five Fingers (2012), Ji played a pianist who envies his older brother's natural gift for music. Ji returned to musical theatre in 2013 with The Days, playing a presidential bodyguard who went missing 20 years earlier along with a mysterious female companion. The Days was a jukebox musical using the folk rock songs of Kim Kwang-seok.
2013–2022: Breakthrough and overseas ventures
Ji's breakthrough came through his role as Toghon Temür (also known as Ta Hwan), the 16th emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, in the historical drama Empress Ki. The drama drew strong nationwide viewership ratings throughout its run, averaging 35.12%. Ji's portrayal received critical acclaim and recognition.
Ji then starred as the titular character in the action-thriller television series Healer (2014–2015). Following the drama's broadcast, Ji gained popularity in China and other parts of Asia. He subsequently appeared in Mandarin-language dramas, includingThe Whirlwind Girl 2.
In 2016, Ji starred in tvN's action-thriller The K2, portraying a bodyguard who is betrayed by his fellow countrymen and falls in love with a woman with post-traumatic stress disorder and apparent sociophobia. The drama received favourable reviews and topped cable television viewership ratings during its eight-week broadcast. In November 2016, he co-starred in the promotional web series 7 First Kisses for Lotte Duty Free.
In 2017, Ji starred in the action film Fabricated City, playing a jobless gaming enthusiast who is framed for murder. The same year, he starred as a prosecutor in SBS's romantic comedy thriller series Suspicious Partner, which premiered in May.
Following his discharge from military service in 2019, Ji starred in the romantic comedy series Melting Me Softly, portraying a television producer who awakens 20 years after an unsuccessful cryogenic preservation experiment.
In 2020, Ji starred in the romantic comedy series Backstreet Rookie, based on a webtoon of the same name. He played a former public relations director of a convenience store franchise who ends up managing his own convenience store. He also starred in the romantic comedy web series Lovestruck in the City.
In 2021, he appeared in Kim Chang-ju's thriller film Hard Hit, playing a mysterious caller who blackmails the protagonist and his family with a bomb planted in their car. In 2022, Ji starred in the Netflix series The Sound of Magic, based on a webtoon of the same name, portraying the mysterious magician Ri Eul. That year, he also starred in the KBS2 television series If You Wish Upon Me as an ex-convict who volunteers at a hospice.
2023–present: New agency and subsequent projects
In March 2023, Ji ended his contract with Glorious Entertainment. That month, he was reported to be preparing to establish a one-person agency with his longtime manager. In April 2023, he signed with Spring Company.
Ji also reprised his role as Mu-yeong in the tenth-anniversary season of the musical The Days in 2023. He also starred in the television series The Worst of Evil and Welcome to Samdal-ri that year. On 15 November 2023, he debuted as a solo recording artist in Japan.
In 2024, Ji appeared in the historical drama Queen Woo and the series Gangnam B-Side. He also appeared in the film Revolver (2024 film).