He is most famous for acting in Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area and Kim Ji-woon's A Bittersweet Life. He was born in Seoul. Lee made his debut in 1991, starring in the television drama Asphalt My Hometown. Lee's later movie, Joint Security Area, was a smash hit, surpassing the box office benchmark set by Shiri. After Lee's role in Bungee Jumping of Their Own, his acting talent gathered widespread recognition. In 2005, Lee released his biographies Limited, Brave and Human during his visit to Singapore, a 3-DVD collection in which he talked about his life and acting career.