He and his family moved to Canada and settled in Coquitlam, British Columbia when he was 10 years old. He moved back to Korea for auditions after dropping out of Simon Fraser University.
He chose the English name "Edward" but his classmates referred to him as "Eddie".
He gained most of his international recognition with the films 'Train To Busan' and 'Okja'.
He was known for supporting roles in Korean dramas before his first leading role in 2015 named 'Fool's Love (Ho Goo's Love)'.