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How old is actor Lee Joo-ahn? Born 1996, from Gong-gil in "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" to "A Love Other Than Yours"

Lee Joo-ahn's age, agency, debut, key credits by year, and the reason he is being searched in October 2026 — KBS2's "A Love Other Than Yours" — drawn from his agency's official profile and 13 press reports.

Lee Joo-ahn is an actor born on January 24, 1996, which makes him 30 as of October 2026. He is signed to YY Entertainment, which he joined in April 2023. He first drew notice as Lee Dong-min in JTBC's "SKY Castle" in 2018, and his widest recognition came in 2025 with Gong-gil, the king's jester, in tvN's "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty."

The reason so many people are searching for him right now is KBS2's weekend series "A Love Other Than Yours," which premiered on September 12, 2026. He plays Han Tae-seung, a film-company attorney who becomes a new variable in the ten-year relationship played by Seo Kang-joon and Ahn Eun-jin, and the show streams on Prime Video in more than 240 countries. Common questions are answered below, with a source number on every claim.

YearTitleDetail
2018JTBC's "SKY Castle"Played Lee Dong-min; the press describes it as his acting debut.2,5
2019"Save Me 2" · "Chief of Staff" Season 2Appeared in both dramas. His agency's official profile lists "Save Me 2" as his debut.1,5
2020tvN's "True Beauty"Supporting role.1,5
2021"Youth of May" · "Snowdrop"Appeared in both dramas.1,5
2023Signs with YY Entertainment · variety show "Magic Lamp"Signed an exclusive contract with YY Entertainment in April, and appeared on the variety show "Magic Lamp" the same year.1,2
2024KBS2's "Love Song for Illusion"Played Ha Rang, who protects the heroine Yeon-wol from the shadows.1,3
2025tvN's "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty"Played the jester Gong-gil; the finale drew a 17.1% rating. Won a Best Actor award at the Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards that year.1,5,6
2026ENA's "Dream to You" (special appearance)Special appearance as the popular actor Geum Seong-mu.9
2026KBS2's "A Love Other Than Yours"Premiered September 12. Plays Han Tae-seung, a film-company attorney. Streams on Prime Video in 240-plus countries.10,11,12

How old is Lee Joo-ahn?

Lee Joo-ahn was born on January 24, 1996, so he is 30 years old as of October 2026. His agency, YY Entertainment, lists his birth date as "1996. 1. 24" on its official profile. A September 2025 Marie Claire article gave his age as 29, which matches that birth date.

1,5

Agency and debut

Lee Joo-ahn is signed to YY Entertainment, having signed an exclusive contract with the agency in April 2023. According to the agency's profile, he majored in acting at Dankook University's School of Performing Arts and Film. Sources differ slightly on his debut: press coverage cites his role as Lee Dong-min in JTBC's "SKY Castle" (2018), while the agency profile lists "Save Me 2" (2019) as his debut.

1,2,5

What has he been in?

  • Early dramas (2018–2021). After "SKY Castle" he appeared in "Save Me 2," "Chief of Staff" Season 2, "Sweet Munchies," "True Beauty," "Youth of May" and "Snowdrop."2,5
  • Film. A 2023 report listed the films "Bokje Sonyeo" (복제소녀) and "Hunt" among his credits.2
  • "Love Song for Illusion" (2024). In this KBS2 drama he played Ha Rang, who grows up alongside the young Yeon-wol and protects her from the shadows to the end.3
  • "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" (2025) and "Dream to You" (2026). Gong-gil in tvN's "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" made his name, and in 2026 he made a special appearance as the popular actor Geum Seong-mu in ENA's Monday–Tuesday drama "Dream to You."4,5,9
2,3,4,5,9

Breakout as Gong-gil in "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty"

tvN's "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" premiered on August 23, 2025. The story of a chef transported to the Joseon era and a tyrant king also made Netflix's Top 10 for non-English shows. Lee Joo-ahn played Gong-gil, a jester from a namsadang troupe; Gong-gil is said to be a real historical figure, King Yeonsan's favorite clown, who also appears in the 2005 film "The King and the Clown." In the series, Gong-gil is a secretive figure who guards King Yi Heon at close range. The finale drew a 17.1% nationwide rating (Nielsen Korea, pay-TV households). Lee called it "a challenging project that will be a turning point in my acting life," adding that he felt intimidated at first. That year he also won a Best Actor award at the 33rd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards.

1,4,5,6,7

October 2026: Han Tae-seung in "A Love Other Than Yours"

His casting in "A Love Other Than Yours" was first reported in March 2026. The KBS2 weekend series premiered on September 12 and airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9:20 p.m.; its 14 episodes also stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries. Seo Kang-joon and Ahn Eun-jin play a couple at a crossroads after ten years together, and Lee Joo-ahn plays Han Tae-seung, a film-company attorney. After a hostile first meeting with Lee Mi-do (Ahn Eun-jin), Tae-seung becomes a new emotional variable in the couple's story. Episode 7, aired October 10, was previewed as bringing Mi-do and Tae-seung's relationship into the open and a tense three-way confrontation. Domestic ratings for episodes 1–4 ranged from 2.5% to 2.8%.

8,10,11,12,13,14

Reading paths

Starter · 10 articlesK-Drama 101 via NetflixBegin with Squid Game and Hwang Dong-hyuk, pass through a zombie period piece, a revenge drama, a Jeju family saga, 2026's The Scandal and cooking and physical survival shows, and arrive at what Korean drama is.

Related articles

Lee Joo-ahn A Love Other Than Yours Bon Appétit, Your Majesty Dream to You Seo Kang-joon Ahn Eun-jin Jo Aram Lim Yoona Lee Chae-min Hwang In-youp Netflix

Sources

  1. official YY엔터테인먼트 (공식 프로필), ENTERTAINERS 이주안 – YY ENTERTAINMENT
  2. press 스포츠경향, 'SKY 캐슬' 이동민 역 이주안, YY엔터테인먼트와 전속계약, 2023-04-25
  3. press 스포츠경향, 배우 이주안, '환상연가' 하랑 역 출연, 2023-12-09
  4. press SPOTV NEWS, 이주안, 당대 최고 꽃미남 된다…tvN 새 드라마 '폭군의 셰프' 출연, 2025-07-07
  5. press Marie Claire (US), Meet the Cast of 'Bon Appétit, Your Majesty,' Netflix's Latest Hit K-Drama, 2025-09-08
  6. press CBS노컷뉴스, '폭군의 셰프' 이주안 "공길은 이헌 편이 아니라 지영을 도운 것"[EN:터뷰], 2025-10-02
  7. press 엑스포츠뉴스, 이주안 "'폭군의 셰프', 도전적인 작품…초반 주눅 들었다, 역할 두려움 有" [엑's 인터뷰①], 2025-10-03
  8. press YTN star, [단독] '폭군의 셰프' 이주안, '너 말고 다른 연애' 캐스팅...안은진 만난다, 2026-03-04
  9. press 스포츠경향, 이주안, '그대에게 드림'에 특별출연 합류, 2026-07-22
  10. press The Week, Korean romantic drama 'A Love Other Than Yours', from 'Into the Ring' director, sets September premiere date on Prime Video, 2026-08-04
  11. press 위키트리, "너 말고 다른 연애" 안은진·이주안 살벌한 첫 만남, 240개국 동시 공개 이유 있었다, 2026-08-27
  12. press 스포츠경향, '너 말고 다른 연애' 첫 방송, 환호가 터졌다, 2026-09-13
  13. press 텐아시아, 시청률 반등 없었다…서강준♥안은진, 2%대 시청률에 발 묶여, 10년 연애도 흔들 ('너다연')[종합], 2026-09-21
  14. press TV리포트, 서강준, 안은진X이주안 관계 알았다→일촉즉발 삼자대면 '무슨 사연?' ('너다연'), 2026-10-10
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“How old is actor Lee Joo-ahn? Born 1996, from Gong-gil in "Bon Appétit, Your Majesty" to "A Love Other Than Yours".” Hallyu Wiki. https://hallyu.wiki/en/guides/lee-joo-ahn-faq/ (Retrieved 2026-10-14).

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