Among his notable works include the films Art Museum by the Zoo (1998), Attack the Gas Station (1999), Kick the Moon (2001), and Public Enemy (2002), as well as the television series Gu Family Book (2013).

After working for a time on TV (his debut was the MBC drama The Love of Two Women), he launched his film career with the romantic comedy Art Museum by the Zoo opposite superstar Shim Eun-ha.

Shortly thereafter he took a role in a very different kind of film, the accomplished black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite, and his portrayal of a dog-hating lecturer who desperately wants to become a professor received good reviews.

Lee also had a memorable turn as the villain in Public Enemy, a hugely successful film by hit director and Cinema Service founder Kang Woo-suk.

[5] Among the television series he's starred in include 2008 romantic comedy Lawyers of the Great Republic of Korea,[6][7] and 2012 hit cable drama How Long I've Kissed.