[3] He began his career in theater, starring in Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Grease and stage adaptation of The Harmonium in My Memory, among many other musicals and plays.

After nearly a decade on the stage, Jo made his film debut as a comedic supporting actor in the 2012 box office hit Architecture 101, which became his breakout role.

(2013), Oh My Ghost (2015), Don't Dare to Dream (2016), Hospital Playlist (2020–2021), as well as films The Face Reader (2013), My Love, My Bride (2014), My Annoying Brother (2016), Exit (2019).

He was admitted into the Theater department of Seoul Institute of the Arts on student loan, but after his father died in 2000, Jo's widowed mother became fully dependent on him.

He was granted an exemption from military service due to family circumstances, and he quit school before graduating so he could start earning money by doing musicals.

[18] Jo's display of versatility and screen presence in those projects caused a surge in mainstream popularity for the actor, resulting in close to twenty offers for films and TV series, not to mention commercials.

[19][20] He next starred in big-screen comedy Almost Che, loosely based on a real-life incident from 1985, in which student activists forcibly occupied the US Cultural Center in Seoul and had a standoff with the police.

Jo played the role of Paeng Heon, a character who holds the key to an important plot reversal in the film.

[31][32] He also headlined The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo, in which he played a TV news reporter who gets a scoop,[33][34] followed by the time-hopping thriller Time Renegades.

[38] The film topped box office charts and earned positive reviews for Jo, who was praised for his comedic timing and chemistry with co-star Do.

[45][46] In 2019, Jo starred alongside Im Yoon-ah in disaster action comedy film written and directed by Lee Sang-geun, Exit.

The film follows the story of Yongnam, a young unemployed man, who attempts to reconnect with an old crush, but following a chain of events, they end up trying to escape from a mysterious white gas that threatens to engulf the entire Seoul district.

[48] It was considered a box office success earning over US$69.5 million worldwide, becoming South Korea's third highest-grossing domestic film for 2019.

[55][56] Jo portrays Yi In, a king caught up in political power struggles that falls in love with the spy Kang Hee-soo, played by Shin Se-kyung, who seeks revenge.

Starring Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dae-myung, the music video for his debut single was directed by Yang Jung-woo, marking their first collaboration since Youth Over Flowers Iceland (2016).

The project was chronicled in a reality television series called 'Playlist to A-list' (referencing his role on 'Hospital Playlist'), documenting Jo's journey in writing songs, being judged by a singing-show type panel, and collaborating with multiple artists.