After several years of small roles and work in one-act dramas, Uhm began to gain recognition after his villainous turn in the romantic comedy Sassy Girl Chun-hyang.

Since then, he has starred in diverse leading roles on film and television, notably in Forever the Moment (2008), Chaw (2009), Cyrano Agency (2010), Architecture 101 (2012), and Man from the Equator (2012).

[1] Uhm made his acting debut in 1998 at the age of 24, and began playing bit parts and supporting roles in films, television dramas and music videos.

Uhm began his rise to popularity with the 2005 romantic comedy series Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, a modern retelling of the classic Korean folktale Chunhyangjeon.

[5] Despite low ratings, Resurrection was a critical hit and gained a cult following, and one review praised Uhm for "the kind of acting expected from Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-sik," not from a young little-known actor who'd previously appeared in a few projects in supporting roles.

He also joined the ensemble cast of Kim Tae-yong's critically acclaimed film Family Ties, playing a reckless but charming man who suddenly shows up at his sister's door with a live-in partner 20 years his senior.

Uhm also starred in December romance My Love, in which his character is a Free Hugs activist who returns to Korea after six years overseas in the hopes of finding his ex-girlfriend.

In Yim Soon-rye's sleeper hit Forever the Moment, Uhm played the tough coach of the National Women's Handball Team (and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Blue Dragon Film Awards).

[11][12][13] Romantic comedy Cyrano Agency was the 8th most commercially successful Korean film of 2010, and in it, Uhm played a theater actor-turned-dating coach whose ex-girlfriend is being pursued by his client.

This was followed later in the year by Righteous Love from tvN, in which his character's marriage is put to the test after his wife has an affair, so as a marine researcher he sets out to prove that her new romance is "invalid.

"[32] In January 2015, Uhm and his daughter Ji-on began appearing in The Return of Superman, a reality show in which male celebrities take care of their young children for 48 hours.

His older sister Uhm Jung-hwa entered show business as a pop singer and released her first album in 1993 (earning the label "Madonna of Korea"); she later turned to acting.