He is best known for his leading roles in the films The Classic (2003), Marathon (2005), Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), and Inside Men (2015), as well as in the stage musicals Jekyll & Hyde, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Man of La Mancha.

He is also known for his leading roles in television dramas The King's Doctor (2012), God's Gift: 14 Days (2014), Stranger (2017–2020), Life (2018), Sisyphus: The Myth (2021) and Divorce Attorney Shin (2023).

[13] He then headlined Tazza: The High Rollers with Kim Hye-soo, the 2006 film adaptation of Huh Young-man's same-titled manhwa, which went on to become one of the biggest Korean blockbuster hits of all time.

[14] He followed that with Go Go 70s, about a rock and roll band during the height of the Park Chung Hee military regime;[15] and The Sword with No Name, in which he played a fictional royal guard in love with Empress Myeongseong (Soo Ae).

[20] Cho's much-anticipated return to the stage was marked with controversy following reports that his salary would be the highest for any musical theatre actor in Korean history.

[28][29] After lead actor Ju Ji-hoon quit due to vocal chord problems, Cho joined the 2012 stage production of Doctor Zhivago just two weeks ahead of opening, turning the musical into a hit.

[34][35] Cho made his small screen debut in 2012 with The King's Doctor, a period drama based on a true story about a Joseon-era low-class veterinarian specializing in the treatment of horses who rises to become the royal physician.

[41] Cho then starred in the 2014 time travel thriller God's Gift - 14 Days, playing a private investigator who helps a mother (Lee Bo-young) save her child.

[56] In 2023, Cho played the titular role in the musical The Phantom of the Opera in Busan, Seoul and Daegu, alternating the part with Choi Jae-rim, Julian Jootaek Kim, and Jeon Dong-seok.