[9][10] His mother was against it and, when Jinyoung was attending his sixth year,[11] she sent him to an audition for SM Entertainment, agreeing that, if he failed, he would give up;[10] however, he made it to the third and final preliminary round and won the popularity award.

[22] On March 11, 2013, it was announced that he would be appearing as Ddol-yi on MBC's new drama When a Man Falls in Love,[23] which aired for twenty episodes beginning April 3.

[26][27] Although the previous roles hadn't sparked his interest in acting, while filming This is My Love Jinyoung realized that it was actually fun, and the memories of that time prompted him to continue working as an actor.

[8] The same year in March he was hired as official host for M Countdown alongside Shinee's Key, group member BamBam and CNBLUE's Jung-shin.

[32][33][30] In September 2016, he was cast for a supporting role in the drama The Legend of the Blue Sea, where he portrayed the teenage version of Lee Min-ho's character, the protagonist of the series.

[39] In 2020, Jinyoung starred in the television series When My Love Blooms alongside Yoo Ji-tae, Lee Bo-young and Jeon So-nee,[40] and was cast in the movie Yaksha: Ruthless Operations as the youngest member of a team of spies in foreign countries dedicated to overseas missions.

[47] Throughout 2020, he collaborated with Tom Ford Beauty to promote Rose Prick Eau de Parfum,[48] make-up line Shade and Illuminate,[49] and the unisex perfume collection Private Blend.

[54] On July 29, 2021, Jinyoung released the self-written, self-composed digital single "Dive" as a gift for fans, along with a special performance clip published on 1theK Originals official YouTube channel.

[59] The following month, Jinyoung was confirmed to star as the lead in the crime thriller film A Christmas Carol, based on the novel of the same name, about a guy who goes to a juvenile detention center to avenge his twin brother's death.

[63][64] Jinyoung received praises for the bold change of image and his performance in the movie,[65][66][67][68][69] which was defined as "unparalleled" by Cho Jae-yong of Single List.

[78] Jinyoung then embarked in a series of fan concerts titled "Rendezvous: Secret Meeting Between You and Me", touring in South Korea,[79] Japan,[80] the Philippines,[81] and Taiwan[82] before enlisting.

[87] In August 2020, he donated ₩20 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help flood victims in South Korea.

[88] On August 10, 2022, Jinyoung donated ₩30 million to help those affected by the 2022 South Korean floods through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association.