What we know about Lee Jung-jae’s net worth

Here’s what we know about Lee Jung-jae’s net worth.

Lee Jung-jae is a South Korean actor who built his net worth on the back of an extremely successful career in the world of entertainment and beyond. With over 30 films and 15 TV shows to his credit, Lee is considered one of the most popular Korean stars in the world. Here’s taking a closer look at his massive fortune.

From struggling to make a living working at a cafe in Seoul to becoming a Golden Globe nominee and finally making a Cannes directorial debut, Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae has come a long way. Deemed by the Korean Film Council as an actor who guarantees box office success, Lee has to his credit an array of hit titles besides the 2021 Netflix series. These include An Affair (1998), Typhoon (2009), The Thieves (2012), Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) and Hunt (2022). This makes the upcoming 2024 release, The Acolyte, one of the most-awaited shows of the year.

Talking about his role in the 2024 Netflix show Squid Game 2, Lee shared in an interview with GQ that he is excited to “perform the darker side of him.”

All details about Lee Jung-jae: Net worth, filmography and other earnings

Lee Jung-jae’s net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth and South China Morning Post, Lee Jung-jae had an estimated net worth of USD 12 million in 2022.

While quoting an exact figure in 2024 seems challenging, it is safe to say that Lee, who has had multiple leading roles to his credit, earns quite handsomely from his cinematic ventures.

While a substantial portion of Lee’s earnings also stems from commercials, luxury brand endorsements and social media earnings, the South Korean actor has strategically diversified his financial portfolio by delving into multiple other sectors. These include his flourishing management agency and a string of popular Italian hotels in Seoul.

Career and filmography

Lee Jung-jae, who was discovered by a fashion designer while working at a cafe in Seoul, initially started his career in modelling. However, he later decided to pursue his passion for cinema and transitioned into acting. Lee Jung-jae made his debut in the 1993 television drama, Dinosaur Teacher, and became an overnight star in his home country. A year later, Lee earned his first leading role and big screen debut with the feature film The Young Man. In the course of the next two years, the actor cemented his success in the industry with hits K-dramas like Feelings (1994) and Sandglass (1995).

Lee landed his first critical hit with the 1998 award-winning film An Affair, directed by E J-yong. The romance drama, which focuses on a woman who falls for her sister’s fiancé, became the seventh highest-grossing Korean film the same year and went on to win the Best Asian Film award at the 1999 Newport Beach International Film Festival.

The success of An Affair propelled Lee into the spotlight and his next film, City of the Rising Sun, earned him Best Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. Additionally, the 1999 action film recorded a total gross of USD 47,940 at the box office, according to The Korean Film Council.

Over the years, Lee Jung-jae has starred in multiple hit titles. These include the time-travel romance Il Mare (2000), the action mystery The Last Witness (2001), the drama film Over the Rainbow (2002), the period action comedy The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan (2008) and the action blockbuster Typhoon (2009).

Check our list of time-travel Korean dramas.

Lee further showcased his versatility in the critically acclaimed 2010 hot Korean erotic film The Housemaid. Co-starring the iconic Jeon Do-yeon, The Housemaid enjoyed special screenings at the Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. It also amassed over USD 14.7 million worldwide and earned Lee the Best Actor award at the Fantasporto Director’s Week.

In 2012, Lee Jung-jae starred in the heist blockbuster The Thieves, co-starring Kim Soo-hyun. Deemed by the media as Korea’s Ocean’s Eleven, this Choi Dong-hoon directorial became the second highest-grossing film in Korean film history. So much so that it recorded over 12.9 million ticket sales after its release and USD 86.7 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.

As the honorary ambassador for the National Museum of Contemporary Art (2011–2012), Lee narrated the TV documentary, Contemporary Art, Bury the Boundary, in 2013, which focused on homegrown artists in Korea. Lee’s popularity continued to soar with titles such as New World (2013), Big Match (2014), Assassination (2015), Operation Chromite (2016) and Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017). While the spy thriller Assassination won Best Film at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards, the historical fantasy Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds minted around USD 109.4 million worldwide and remains one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea.

After starring in the 2019 occult film Svaha: The Sixth Finger, Lee further showcased his versatility in the 2021 Netflix global hit Squid Game. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the game-based Korean drama focuses on lowly gambler Gi-hun (Lee), who gets recruited to play a series of deadly childhood games that will challenge his morals. With more than 1.65 billion hours of viewership in the first 28 days of release, Squid Game remains one of the most-watched K-dramas on Netflix. The series also won six Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Hwang Dong-hyuk and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae. Reportedly, the actor was paid USD 248,000 per episode and a total of USD 2.2 million for the show.

In 2022, Lee made his feature directorial debut with the Korean action thriller film Hunt. It premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in May 2022 and received a seven-minute standing ovation. Hunt grossed over USD 34 million at the worldwide box office.

Lee Jung-jae, who reportedly has an annual income of USD 4.9 million, will reprise his role as Gi-hun in his latest project — the second instalment of Netflix’s Squid Game. According to the streaming platform, Squid Game 2 will premiere in late 2024.

According to a June 2023 report by the K-media outlet Dispatch, Lee is charging a whopping USD 1 million per episode for season 2, which will amount to over USD 13 million by the end of its 13 episodes.

Lee is also gearing up for his Hollywood debut with the upcoming Disney Plus Star Wars spin-off The Acolyte, set to release in June 2024. According to the official Star Wars website, Lee will portray the role of Master Sol — a “wise,” “highly respected,” and “powerful” Jedi Master.

Luxury brand endorsements

Lee has not just conquered the South Korean entertainment industry but also the global fashion world. So, unsurprisingly, besides his acting stints, brand endorsements and commercials make for key revenue streams that bolster the formidable net worth of Lee Jung-jae.

Over the years, the Korean star has been the face of multiple luxury brands, including Gucci, Montres Breguet, LG and Bang & Olufsen.

After achieving international fame with Squid Game, Lee was selected as a global ambassador for the luxury brand Gucci in November 2021. Being the brand’s face, the actor is often seen endorsing Gucci items and leading its fashion campaigns. He was also seen attending the GUCCI 2024 Women’s S/S ‘Gucci Ancora’ pop-up store opening photocall on 5 March 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.

 

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In 2021, Lee became the Public Relations Ambassador for the 2030 Busan World Expo. The following year, the actor was announced as the ambassador for the 2022 Seoul Fashion Week with South Korean model Choi So-ra. Lee is also the Visit Korea Year 2023-24 and honorary ambassador for tourism in the country. It is notable to mention that the four-video Challenge Korea YouTube series, promoting tourism in South Korea with the Squid Game 2 actor, surpassed half a billion views in just 57 days after its release in June 2023.

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, South Korean firm Wider Planet Inc., which uses artificial intelligence to produce commercials, jumped 69 per cent in stocks after it revealed that Lee Jung-jae would become its biggest shareholder and hold three million shares in the company following rights offering payment date on 20 December 2023.

The Hunt actor has also been featured in multiple magazine editorials, including Elle, Vogue Hong Kong, Vogue Korea, Marie Claire Korea, W Korea, Star Wars Insider Korea, GQ, QUEUE and WWD Korea.

With over 4 million followers as of March 2024, Lee successfully dominates Instagram with his consistent project-related updates, photoshoots and sponsored posts. He reportedly earns around USD 10,000 to USD 100,000 per post on the social media platform.

Follow Lee Jung-jae on Instagram here.

Expensive things owned by Lee Jung-jae that add to his net worth

Lee Jung-jae, who established his own label, Artist Company, along with actor friend Jung Woo-sung, reportedly owns around USD 39.6 million worth of real estate. This includes an expensive building in Seoul’s Cheongdam neighbourhood, worth over USD 29 million.

He also owns the real estate development company, Seorim C&D, as well as a chain of upscale Italian restaurants in Seoul named after his hit film, Il Mare.

Lee also has a penchant for luxury automobiles and apparently owns a chic BMW and the classic German sports car Porsche 911.

Personal life

Born on 15 December 1972, in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Lee Jung-jae was passionate about acting since his childhood. In 2008, the Korean sensation earned his master’s degree from Dongguk University’s Department of Theater and Film Art in the Graduate School of Cultural Arts and eventually ended up pursuing a career in entertainment.

Lee enlisted in the military on 26 December 1994 and was released in 1997.

As for his relationship, Lee went public about dating businesswoman Lim Se-ryung in 2015. She is the eldest daughter of the chairman of Korean food giant Daesang Group.

(Hero and featured image: Courtesy Lee Jung-jae/Instagram)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

– Does Lee Jung-jae speak English?

Yes, Lee Jung-jae can speak English. However, the actor is not fluent in the language.

– What Netflix series is Lee Jung-jae in?

Lee Jung-jae is the lead protagonist of the Netflix global hit series Squid Game.

– Is Lee Jung-jae in a relationship?

Yes, Lee has been in a relationship with businesswoman Lim Se Ryung since 2015. She is the eldest daughter of the chairman of Korean food giant Daesang Group.

– Who is the richest K-drama actor?

Some of the richest K-drama actors are Lee Min-ho, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Song Joong-ki, Son Ye-jin, Son Hye-kyo, Hyun Bin, Ji Chang-wook and IU.