Who is Joo Sang-wook? Age, agency, key works and what he has been doing in 2026
Actor Joo Sang-wook's age and agency, key works by year, the results of Agent Kim Reactivated (Korean title Kim Bu-jang), his 2026 activities and where to watch officially — drawn from 16 press reports.
Joo Sang-wook — searched as "joo sang-wook" or "joo sang uk" — is an actor with HB Entertainment who played Joo Kang-chan, his first villain role since his debut, in the 2026 SBS drama Kim Bu-jang [11][13]. The series streamed on Netflix under the English title Agent Kim Reactivated and topped the global Top 10 for non-English TV for three consecutive weeks [6][13].
None of the reports checked for this page announce a new drama or film role for him in October 2026. His most recent appearances are a guest role in Season 3 of Coupang Play's Office Workers (Jikjangindeul), which premiered on August 29, and an appearance on JTBC's Please Take Care of My Refrigerator on September 27 [14][15]. Each question is answered below, with a source number on every claim.
| Title | Year / broadcaster or platform | Role and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Giant | 2010 | The work Joo names as the first turning point of his acting career.12 |
| Taejong Yi Bang-won | Won at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards | Earned him the grand prize (daesang) at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards, shared with Lee Seung-gi.16 |
| Treasure Island | April 2025 / SBS | Cited as his most recent work when his Kim Bu-jang casting was announced.1 |
| Agent Kim Reactivated (Kim Bu-jang) | June 26 – July 25, 2026 / SBS, Netflix | Joo Kang-chan, a former hired thug turned chairman of Juhak Construction. His first villain role since his debut.2,11,13 |
| Office Workers Season 3 | Premiered August 29, 2026 / Coupang Play | Guest appearance; his episodes were reported to be released in turn as the season progresses.14 |
Who is he? Age and agency
Joo Sang-wook is an actor with HB Entertainment and was 48 as of reports in July 2026 [11][12]. Reports put the length of his acting career differently, at "29 years" [14] or "30 years" [13]. Sports Kyunghyang wrote that he built his name playing intelligent, trustworthy characters in works such as Bora! Deborah and Taejong Yi Bang-won [3]. In November 2025, HB Entertainment announced he would appear in SBS's Kim Bu-jang [1].
1,3,11,12,13,14Key works and years
Joo named Giant (2010) as the first turning point of his acting career and Kim Bu-jang (2026) as the second [12]. At the 2022 KBS Drama Awards he shared the grand prize (daesang, the top award) with Lee Seung-gi for Taejong Yi Bang-won [16]. In his acceptance speech he said "the epic historical drama has been revived after five years" [16]. Sports Kyunghyang listed Bora! Deborah, Alchemy of Souls and Taejong Yi Bang-won among his works and noted his appearance in SBS's Treasure Island in April 2025 [1].
1,12,16What is Kim Bu-jang, and whom does he play?
Kim Bu-jang is an SBS Friday-Saturday drama written by Nam Dae-joong and directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun; it premiered at 9:50 p.m. on June 26, 2026 [2][3]. It is a revenge action drama about a father trying to get his only daughter back, with So Ji-sub in the lead [2][5]. Joo plays Joo Kang-chan, who rose from hired thug to chairman of Juhak Construction — his first villain role since his debut [2][3]. At the press conference he said, "This is the first time I've played such an outright villain" [2]. He said he trained twice a day for three months and cut his weight from 78 kg to 71 kg [10].
2,3,5,10Ratings and Netflix results
Nielsen Korea nationwide ratings were 9.5% for episode 1 and 15.7% for episode 2 [4]. TenAsia reported that this was the first time in five years — since Penthouse 3 in 2021 — that an SBS drama passed 15% within two episodes [4]. Episode 8 set the show's high at 23.1% [7], and the final episode on July 25 drew 23.0% [8][11]. Sports Kyunghyang reported that 23.1% is the second-highest figure among SBS Friday-Saturday dramas [9]. On Netflix, it ranked No. 1 in non-English TV with 10.5 million views for the June 29–July 5 tracking week [5]. As of July 22 reports it had held No. 1 for three straight weeks, with 8.2 million views that week, a Top 10 place in 73 countries and the No. 1 spot in 19 [6][7].
4,5,6,7,8,9,112026 so far: what is he doing in October?
In post-finale interviews he said that if a second season is made he would like to appear, even as a cameo [9][12]. The Korea Times reported that talks on a second season are under way but that his character is unlikely to return [13]. He said his next project had not been decided [8]. On August 25, TV Report said he had finished filming a guest role in Season 3 of the Coupang Play original Office Workers, an improvised office sitcom; the season's first episode would be released at 8 p.m. on August 29, with his episodes following in turn [14]. On September 27 he appeared on JTBC's cooking talk show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator [15]. None of the reports checked for this page announce a new drama or film role for him in October 2026.
8,9,12,13,14,15Where to watch (official platforms)
Kim Bu-jang aired on SBS and streams on Netflix as Agent Kim Reactivated [3][13]. Office Workers Season 3 is a Coupang Play original series [14]. Please Take Care of My Refrigerator is a JTBC program [15]. Availability by country and subtitle languages should be checked on each platform.
3,13,14,15How to read this page
Ratings are Nielsen Korea figures relayed by the press, and Netflix rankings are as of each article's tracking week. Age and career length reflect the time each article was written and can differ between reports. "No new October announcement" records only what was found up to the date this page was written (October 15, 2026); the page will be updated when a new role is announced. His full filmography is in the Hallyu Wiki article on Joo Sang-wook.
Reading paths
Related articles
Joo Sang-wook Agent Kim Reactivated So Ji-sub Alchemy of Souls Netflix
Sources
- press 스포츠경향, 배우 주상욱, ‘김부장’ 주강찬 역 출연···소지섭과 팽팽한 대립각 구축, 2025-11-21
- press 스타뉴스, '김부장' 주상욱, 첫 악역 도전 "이렇게 많이 맞아본 적 처음", 2026-06-25
- press Sports Kyunghyang, ‘Manager Kim’ Joo Sang-wook sheds the gentleman image and puts on his first villain, 2026-06-26
- press 텐아시아, 데뷔 첫 악역에 시청률 15% 돌파했다…주상욱, 5년 만에 대기록 세운 '김부장'에서 열연, 2026-06-29
- press The Korea Herald, Three K-dramas land on Netflix's non-English Top 10, 2026-07-08
- press The Korea Times, 'Agent Kim Reactivated' reigns atop Netflix's weekly non-English chart for 3rd week, 2026-07-22
- press Korea JoongAng Daily, 'Agent Kim Reactivated' tops Netflix non-English TV chart for third week, 2026-07-22
- press 미주중앙일보(OSEN), ‘김부장’ 주상욱, SBS 연기대상 예측 “소지섭 대상 받을 것 같다” [인터뷰③], 2026-07-26
- press 스포츠경향, [인터뷰] ‘김부장’ 주상욱 “어딜 가든 사진 찍어 달라고, 시즌2는 카메오로”, 2026-07-27
- press 텐아시아, 노출 위해 7kg 감량했다…'김부장' 주상욱 "3개월 동안 몸 만들어, 체지방 13%" [TEN인터뷰], 2026-07-27
- press 뉴시스, [인터뷰] 주상욱의 재발견, 2026-07-28
- press 머니투데이방송(MTN), 주상욱 "'김부장' 같은 작품은 50부작 정도는 돼야죠" [엔터&피플], 2026-07-29
- press The Korea Times, Joo Sang-wook reinvents himself as villain in 'Agent Kim Reactivated', 2026-08-04
- press TV리포트, '시청률 23.1%' 대박 찍더니…주상욱, '직장인들' 시즌3 전격 합주→오는 29일 공개, 2026-08-25
- press 스타뉴스, 주상욱, '냉부해' 시청률 5% 공약.."냉장고 한 대씩 쏩니다" [별별TV], 2026-09-27
- press 데일리안, “불참할까 생각도 했는데”…이승기, 주상욱과 KBS ‘공동’ 연기대상, 2023-01-01
Cite this page
“Who is Joo Sang-wook? Age, agency, key works and what he has been doing in 2026.” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/joo-sang-wook-faq/ (Retrieved 2026-10-15).
How this article was made: read official statements, court/regulator records and at least two independent outlets; community posts are used only as attention signals. Written by Hallyu Wiki editors with AI assistance — check the sources. Request a correction