Lee Jin-wook was studying Environmental Engineering at Cheongju University when he dropped out to pursue acting. He began his entertainment career as a print model for Panasonic in 2003, then made his acting debut in My New Boyfriend, a 2004 short film directed by Hur Jin-ho. Roles in television dramas followed, namely: a good-natured stalker in Alone in Love, a baseball player in Smile Again, a private investigator in Someday, an Incheon Airport employee in Air City, a plastic surgeon in Before and After, the president's son in Formidable Rivals, and a newly married chaebol in Glass Castle.