Jin Goo made his television debut in the 2003 gambling drama All In, as the younger version of the protagonist character played by Lee Byung-hun.

[2] They reunited onscreen in Kim Jee-woon's film noir A Bittersweet Life,[3] and Jin would later join Lee when he established his own management agency, BH Entertainment.

[4] It won the top award in the TV movie/miniseries category of Prix Italia, and the jury praised it as "a magical, moving and poetic story about the power of love with high quality performances.

[7][8] Though he appeared in little-seen mystery romance The ESP Couple,[9] Jin would become known for playing strong moody characters, such as a low-ranking thug in Yoo Ha's A Dirty Carnival,[10][11] and a serial killer in Truck.

He said the film was a great pleasure to make since cooking is a hobby of his, though emulating a professional chef meant undergoing "200 hours of chopping radishes" in order to perfect the motion.

[36] Supporting roles followed in thriller The Target,[37] period blockbuster The Admiral: Roaring Currents,[38] and nostalgic musical drama C'est Si Bon.

[45][46] In 2017, Jin starred in the action film One Line, where he played a legendary swindler who joins with a student (Im Si-wan) to rob a bank.