8 Ji Sung Shows To Watch This 2021: The Devil Judge, Doctor John, Kill Me, Heal Me

This versatile actor in the drama "The Devil Judge" has been blowing our minds in recent episodes. But guess what? He's been this good since his acting debut in 1999. Here, we jot down his shows to add to your playlist

South Korean actor Ji Sung is far from the typical oppa. More than his dazzling looks, this 44-year-old Hallyu star is one of those whose acting talent has so much depth that each role he portrays leaves a lasting mark in the industry. Proof: 26 accolades from prestigious award-winning bodies including two Daesang (Grand Prize) from two giant broadcasting networks in South Korea.

On top of that, he joined other well-loved South Korean actors and actresses like his wife, Lee Bo-young (Mine; I Can Hear Your Voice) and Gong Yoo (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God; Seobok) as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador in 2017. Advocating children’s education, he went to Bhutan in 2018 to spread awareness, visiting the remote Wolathang Primary School in Punakha to motivate the children to study hard. The handsome couple Ji Sung and Lee Bo-young reportedly donated a large sum of funds to several charities including the young cancer patients of Seoul National University Hospital. It just goes to show this talented actor has a big heart, too.

View this post on Instagram

Following a three-year hiatus, the award-winning actor returns with The Devil Judge, the much-anticipated series set in a dystopian version of South Korea, where people harbour hatred towards their leaders and live in a chaotic situation. The mind-blowing series instantly captured the attention of the viewers with its unique plot that includes trials held through a courtroom live show aired on television. While this ongoing series keeps the viewers thrilled every Saturday and Sunday, we round up some of Ji Sung's shows that you can binge-watch for now.

View this post on Instagram

1. Doctor John

Based on the Japanese novel On Hand of God by Yo Kusakabe, this 2019 series tackles the controversial issue of euthanasia. Ji Sung plays the role of Cha Yo-han, a talented anesthesiologist who secretly suffers from a condition called congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis or CIPA, a rare autosomal recessive disorder of the nervous system that prevents the feeling of pain or temperature. He is arrogant but intelligent and is known for being able to diagnose one’s diseases in ten seconds or less. However, when his secret was exposed, his skills and judgments as a doctor were questioned.

2. Innocent Defendant

In this 2017 heart-wrenching drama, Ji Sung plays the character of Park Jung-woo, a prosecutor who wakes up one day in prison as a convict who is on death row. He has no idea why he’s imprisoned because he was suffering from temporary amnesia.

Playing the protagonist in this drama is Um Ki-joon who portrays two roles as twins Cha Sun-ho and Cha Min-ho. If you’ve been following him as Joo Dan-tae in The Penthouse: War in Life, you will notice some resemblance in his role as Cha Min-ho in this series—both characters are way too good at getting on your nerves.

Park Jung-woo struggles to bring back his memories to clear his name. He also fabricated the murder case against him with hopes of saving his kidnapped daughter from the hands of Cha Min-ho.

Ji Sung won three major acting awards for his role in this drama: 1st The Seoul Awards Best Actor, SBS Drama Awards Daesang (Grand Prize) and 30th Grimae Awards Best Actor.

3. The Devil Judge

Definitely the most intriguing drama series of the season, this mysterious legal drama directed by Choi Jung-gyu tells the story of Kang Yo-han (Ji Sung), a chief judge who mercilessly punishes those who deserve it, earning himself a hero status in a dystopian version of South Korea. Ji Sung reunites with actress Kim Min-jung (who plays Kang Yo-han’s rival in The Devil Judge), his co-star in the 2007 medical drama, New Heart.

It also stars South Korean singer, actor and member of the boy band Got7, Park Jin-young (He Is Psychometric; Melting Me Softly) as well as Park Gyu-young and Jang Young-nam, who both starred alongside Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Ye-jin in the hit drama, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

The story, which was written by former judge Moon Yoo-seok, is one that is so unique it will keep stirring your curiosity. There are well-executed symbolisms and minute details that add so much depth to the story.

4. Protect the Boss

An incredibly immature man Cha Ji-heon (Ji Sung) is useless as a director at DN Group, a company chaired by his father (Park Yeong-gyu). His rival in career and love is his cousin Cha Mu-won (Kim Jae-joong), who is more mature, hardworking, and seemingly a more fit for the executive post. Both of them have a romantic history with Seo Na-yoon (Wang Ji-hye).

Ji Sung bagged the Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Drama Special at the 2011 SBS Drama Awards for his role in this series.

5. Secret Love

A second-generation chaebol "bad boy", Jo Min-hyuk (Ji Sung) falls in love with the charming but tenacious Kang Yo-jung (Hwang Jung-eum) who sacrificed her freedom and went to prison for her boyfriend's hit-and-run murder charges. Park Min-hyuk takes revenge following the death of his girlfriend, who died in, unbeknownst to him, the same hit-and-run accident. Secrets unfold as the story progresses.

Both Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-eum (She Was Pretty; Mystic Pop-up Bar) won the Top Excellence Award at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards for their roles in this series.

6. Kill Me, Heal Me

One of the most complex characters Ji Sung played in his career is his lead role in Kill Me, Heal Me, where he played Cha Do-hyun, a wealthy businessman who suffers from dissociative identity disorder who has six identities: Shin Se-gi, a young man with a devil-may-care demeanour; Perry Park, a 40-year-old man with an affinity for fishing and building bombs; Ahn Yo-seob, a suicidal, smart 17-year-old artist; Ahn Yo-na, an extrovert and mischievous 17-year-old girl who loves idols; Na-na, a 7-year-old girl who owns a teddy bear named Nana and revealed that her name is Cha Do-hyun; and Mr X, a mysterious man who is later revealed as the father of Na-na.

Ji Sung and Hwang Jung-eum (Oh Ri-jin, Cha Do-hyun's secret psychiatrist and love interest), who previously starred together in Secret Love in 2013, reunite in this roller-coaster series. Kill Me, Heal Me also stars Park Seo-joon as Oh Ri-on, Oh Ri-jin’s twin brother.

The series won 17 awards from different prestigious award-giving institutions.

7. Entertainer

This 18-episode 2016 rom-com is about Shin Suk-ho (Ji Sung), a successful manager who works for KTOP entertainment, one of the largest entertainment companies in South Korea. He decided to independently develop his own company, Mango Entertainment, but his fate turned upside down. The show also stars Lee Hye-ri (Reply 1988; My Roommate is a Gumiho).

8. Familiar Wife

After an unexpected accident, married couple Cha Joo-hyuk (Ji Sung) and Seo Woo-jin (Han Ji-min) suddenly find themselves living entirely different lives. Travelling back in time, there’s a lot of lessons and realisations in a marriage that husbands and wives will pick up from this heartfelt drama.

Tatler Asia