Lee Moo-saeng (; born May 10, 1980), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas The World of the Married (2020), The Silent Sea (2021), Thirty-Nine (2022), and Cleaning Up (2022).
Early life and education Lee Moo-saeng was born on May 10, 1980, in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi, South Korea. His initial foray into acting was driven by a simple desire: "I just had a vague thought, I'd really love to be on TV". After completing his high school college entrance exams and contemplating his future, Lee attended an acting academy for two months to seriously pursue this dream. He was successfully admitted to Department of Film of Sejong University. He recounted enjoying his four years there, where he developed a relationship with his mentor, actor Lee Soon-jae, and learned a lot. In 2006, he graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Film Arts.
Career 2006–2019: Early career and building success Lee made his debut in 2006 as Joon-tae in the film See You After School and later appeared in series and films such as Special Affairs Team TEN, Fengshui, Prison Playbook, and Something in the Rain.
In particular in 2019, Lee received widespread recognition for his acting skills through his portrayal of various roles in works such as The Crowned Clown, One Spring Night, Designated Survivor: 60 Days, and Melting Me Softly.
2020–present: Rise in popularity In 2020, Lee gained popularity with his performance in the melodrama romance series The World of the Married in the role of Kim Yoon-ki. In the same year, he was cast in Netflix's original series The Silent Sea with Bae Doona and Gong Yoo.
In 2021, he was cast in the romance drama Thirty-Nine alongside Son Ye-jin and Jeon Mi-do. Following the release of the series in 2022, he received much praise in his role as Kim Jin-seok. Lee's success was followed by a leading role in the drama Cleaning Up alongside Yum Jung-ah. Lee also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Kang Yeong-cheon, a psychopathic murderer, in The Glory.
Lee's popularity continued to rise, starring as Yoo Jung-jae alongside Lee Young-ae in Maestra: Strings of Truth which aired on tvN from December 9, 2023, to January 14, 2024. He portrayed the role of Konishi Yukinaga in Noryang: Deadly Sea a 2023 South Korean historical war action film and the role of Kim Yoon-gi in Citizen of a Kind.
It was also announced that Lee has been cast in the upcoming thriller Hide, and will be starring alongside Lee Bo-young. Reportedly, Lee will join the cast of Gyeongseong Creature in Season 2 of the series that was expected for release in 2024. More recently, Lee has been cast in Blood Free in the role of On San, premiering on Disney+ on April 10, 2024.
In 2025, Lee starred as Jin So-baek, the owner of the Jinkang Store, in the Netflix crime thriller television series As You Stood By.
Personal life Lee married his girlfriend in 2011 and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 See You After School Joon-tae 2007 Resurrection of the Butterfly Our Town Jung Myung-bo 2009 Running Turtle Detective Lee The Sword With No Name Sang-Hoon 2010 Troubleshooter interrogation prosecutor A Long Visit Joon-soo 2011 Homicide Sonata 2012 Sex, Lies and Videotape Kyung-tae Bloody Fight in Iron-Rock Valley Chul-gi Plump Revolution Min-ho 2013 Eating, Talking, Faucking rapist Oldmen Never Die Joon-soo 2014 The Suffered Detective Lee 2015 Hot Service: A Cruel Hairdresser Ji Yang-bae 2016 SORI: Voice from the Heart NIS agent 1 Cameo 2017 Fabricated City Prosecutor 2018 Fengshui Feng shui expert 1 2019 Money Funeral hall manager The Faceless Boss Cha Joon-young 2020 The Faceless Boss: The Untold Story 2022 Broker Seon-ho Special appearance 2023 Noryang: Deadly Sea Konishi Yukinaga 2024 Citizen of a Kind Kim Yoon-gi 2025 Run to the West Mul-Gae
Television series Year Title Role Notes 2007 Behind the White Tower Kwon Hyung-jin 2009 Wife Returns Director Lee 2011 Special Affairs Team TEN Ji Jin-hyuk 2013 Special Affairs Team TEN 2 Cameo (ep.11-12) Heartless City Detective Kim Do-hoon 2014 Secret Affair Chief Lim A Witch's Love Detective Lee Cameo (ep. 10,13) 2015 My Beautiful Bride 2016 Pied Piper Prosecutor Cameo (ep. 6) 2017 Irish Uppercut Do Tae-min Main Role The Idolmaster KR Chief Yang Prison Playbook Lawyer Kang Min-koo 2018 Something in the Rain Jin Ah's boyfriend Cameo (ep.15-16) The Miracle We Met Kim Choong-man With Coffee [Team Leader] 2019 The Crowned Clown Prince Jinpyung One Spring Night Nam Shi-hoon Designated Survivor: 60 Days Kim Nam-wook Melting Me Softly Jo Ki-beom 2019–2020 Chocolate Jeong Se-un 2020 The World of the Married Kim Yoon-ki 2022 Thirty-Nine Kim Jin-seok Cleaning Up Lee Young-shin 2023 Maestra: Strings of Truth Yoo Jung-jae 2026 Phillip Yoo
Web series Year Title Role Notes 2021 The Silent Sea Chief Gong Soo-hyuk 2022–2023 The Glory Kang Yeong-cheon Special appearance (Part 1–2) 2024 Hide Cha Seong-jae Gyeongseong Creature Captain Kuroko Blood Free On San 2025 As You Stood By Jin So-baek Netflix
Stage + Theater performances Year Title Role Venue Date English Korean 2009 Hamlet Q1 햄릿Q1 Hamlet Dongduk Women's University Performing Arts Centre March 20 to 29 2009 Culture of Youth Northern District 2009 Performance - Wuthering Height 젊음의 문화북구 2009기획공연 - 폭풍의 언덕 Hatton / Heathcliff (past) Ulsan Buk-gu Culture and Arts Centre June 27 to 28 2011 Yasmin's first play "Meet the Gogol" 야스민의 첫 연극 <고골을 만나다> Miari Village Theater, Daehakro Woosuk Repertory Theater October 26 to 30 2014 Now Gogol 나우 고골리 Seoul Arts Space (for the 35th Seoul Theater Festival) May 3 to 4 2016 Death of a Salesman 세일즈맨의 죽음 Biff Loman Asian Culture Center December 3–4 Arko Arts Theater December 13–22 2017 Daejeon Arts January 13–14 Uijeongbu Arts February 10–12 Suwon SK Atrium February 17–18 Ulsan Culture February 24–25 Gyeongju Arts February 28 – March 1
References