Ryu Jin became active as an actor in the late 1990s, with his first known acting credit being the 1997 film Deep Sorrow. In 1998, he appeared in the SBS series Romance, which won him Best New Actor at the SBS Drama Awards. In 1999, he starred in the KBS dramas Love in 3 Colors and Sunrise, Moonrise, which gave him another Best New Actor trophy at the KBS Drama Awards. In 2003, he acted alongside Song Seung-heon and Sohn Ye-jin in KBS2 romance melo Summer Scent. He also played major roles in the rom-com Oh Feel Young in 2004 and in the family drama Mom’s Dead Upset in 2008, which both aired on KBS2. In 2012, he led the MBC sitcom Standby, which earned him the Popularity Award at the MBC Drama Awards. In 2021, he became part of the KBS1 daily series Be My Dream Family, which scored him an Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards.

Ryu Jin married former cabin attendant Lee Hye-sun in 2006. They have two sons together.