As a freshman at university, he was inspired by Cha Seung-won to become a model, and after losing 30 kg (66 lb) made his debut at a fashion show in Busan in 1999.

[1] Lee branched out into acting, making his film debut in 2006;[2] he played a ssireum wrestler in Like a Virgin, putting his skills to good use and helping lead actor Ryu Deok-hwan learn the moves.

He had been riding home from a party celebrating the airing of the last episode of Strongest Chil Woo, when his motorcycle hit the guardrail of an overpass in Hannam-dong, Seoul, at around 2 a.m.

He died at the scene from a broken neck and was taken to the nearby Soonchunhyang University Hospital.

[1][2] Many of his colleagues attended his funeral, including Gong Yoo, his co-star in Coffee Prince, who took leave from his military service to hold Lee's memorial tablet in the procession to the grave site.