# Park Seo-joon

Park Yong-kyu (Korean: 박용규; born December 16, 1988), better known by the stage name Park Seo-joon (박서준), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series Kill Me, Heal Me (2015), She Was Pretty (2015), Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016–2017), Fight for My Way (2017), What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018), Itaewon Class (2020), and Gyeongseong Creature (2023–2024). He has also appeared in films such as The Chronicles of Evil (2015), Midnight Runners (2017), The Divine Fury (2019), Concrete Utopia (2023), and The Marvels (2023).

## Early years and education

During his middle school years, Park Seo-joon happened to join an animation club by chance. Through this club, he had the opportunity to participate in an annual performance stage. He gained a lot of experience from being the center of attention, which led him to pursue his studies in the Acting Department at Seoul Institute of the Arts.
While pursuing his studies in acting, Park encountered challenges and became overwhelmed by the constant presence of others. In 2008, he chose to enlist in the military, seeing it as an opportunity to gather his thoughts and organize his life. As such, Park believed that fulfilling his military service obligation should be his first priority. He was assigned to the Security Guard Battalion and completed his active military service at the Cheongju Correctional Facility.

## Career
### 2011–2015: Beginnings and breakthrough

Park made his entertainment debut in 2011 by appearing in the music video of Bang Yong-guk's single "I Remember." He played supporting roles in television dramas Dream High 2 (2012), Pots of Gold (2013), and One Warm Word (2013), and had his first leading role in A Witch's Love (2014). From October 2013 to April 2015, he hosted Music Bank.
His breakout roles came in 2015 with the dramas Kill Me, Heal Me and She Was Pretty, where he starred alongside Hwang Jung-eum. The same year, Park featured in the thriller film The Chronicles of Evil.

### 2016–present: Mainstream popularity

In 2016, Park starred in the youth historical drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth alongside Go Ara and Park Hyung-sik, playing a young man of low birth, who becomes a legendary Hwarang warrior in the Silla period.
Park found success in the 2017 KBS2 romance comedy drama, Fight for My Way, where he played Ko Dong-man, a former taekwondo player with a painful past, who struggles to find his success as a mixed martial arts fighter, alongside Kim Ji-won. The television series was a major hit in South Korea and topped ratings in its time slot. The same year, he played his first big-screen leading role in the action-comedy Midnight Runners with Kang Ha-neul. Park won the Best New Actor award at major film award ceremonies such as the Grand Bell Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.
In 2018, Park starred in the romantic comedy drama What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, playing a narcissistic vice-chairman of a major corporation who falls in love with his secretary, played by Park Min-young. The series was a hit and Park received positive reviews from critics for his performance, being dubbed the "master of romantic comedy" by the Korean press.
In 2019, Park starred in the action horror film The Divine Fury in the role of a martial arts champion with divine powers. The same year, Park served as the special juror for the Asiana International Short Film Festival. He also made a guest appearance in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite (2019).
In 2020, Park starred in JTBC drama Itaewon Class, based on the webtoon of the same name. He played an owner of a bar-restaurant who successfully expands it into a franchise. The drama was a success, and was praised for its interesting story development and colorful performances. For his role, Park was nominated for Best Actor - Television at 56th Baeksang Arts Awards
In 2023, he starred in the sports film Dream as a soccer player turned coach named Yoon Hong-Dae, directed by Lee Byeong-heon, and disaster-thriller film Concrete Utopia directed by Um Tae-hwa. He made his Hollywood debut, appearing in the MCU film The Marvels as Prince Yan of Aladna.

## Philanthropy

On February 10, 2023, Park donated ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Perfect Game | Chil-goo | Bit part |
| 2015 | The Chronicles of Evil | Cha Dong-jae | |
| 2015 | The Beauty Inside | Woo-jin | |
| 2017 | Real | Dressed-up bodyguard | Cameo |
| 2017 | Midnight Runners | Park Ki-joon | |
| 2018 | Be with You | adult Jung Ji-ho | Cameo |
| 2019 | Parasite | Min-hyuk | Cameo |
| 2019 | The Divine Fury | Yong-hoo | |
| 2023 | Dream | Yoon Hong-dae | |
| 2023 | Concrete Utopia | Min-sung | |
| 2023 | The Marvels | Prince Yan | Hollywood debut |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | Dream High 2 | Lee Si-woo | |
| 2012 | Family | Cha Seo-joon | |
| 2013 | Pots of Gold | Park Hyun-tae | |
| 2013 | Drama Festival: The Sleeping Witch | Kim Him-chan | |
| 2013 | One Warm Word | Song Min-soo | |
| 2014 | A Witch's Love | Yoon Dong-ha | |
| 2014 | Mama | adult Han Geu-roo | Cameo (episode 24) |
| 2015 | Kill Me, Heal Me | Oh Ri-on | |
| 2015 | She Was Pretty | Ji Sung-joon | |
| 2016–2017 | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Moo Myung / Kim Sun-woo | |
| 2017 | Fight for My Way | Ko Dong-man | |
| 2018 | What's Wrong with Secretary Kim | Lee Young-joon | |
| 2020 | Itaewon Class | Park Sae-royi | |
| 2020 | Record of Youth | Song Min-soo | Cameo (episode 9–10) |
| 2023–2024 | Gyeongseong Creature | Jang Tae-sang / Ho-jae | Season 1–2 |

### Web show

| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
| 2022 | Young Actors' Retreat | Cast member | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013–2015 | Music Bank | Host | with Yoon Bo-ra |
| 2018 | Youn's Kitchen | Cast member | Season 2 |
| 2021 | Youn's Stay | Cast member | |
| 2022 | In the Soop: Friendcation | Cast member | |
| 2023–2024 | Jinny's Kitchen | Cast member | 2 seasons |
| 2023 | Jinny's Kitchen: Team Building | Cast member | |

### Hosting

| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
| 2014 | 2014 SBS Drama Awards | with Lee Hwi-jae and Park Shin-hye | |

### Music video appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 2011 | "I Remember" | Bang Yong-guk and Yang Yo-seob |
| 2014 | "One Two Three Four" | The One |
| 2017 | "Dream All Day" | Kim Ji-soo |
| 2021 | "Gyopo Hairstyle" | Peakboy |
| 2024 | "Ice Cream" | Jeon Somi |

## Discography

List of singles, showing year released, selected chart positions, and name of the album :
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR | Album |
| "New Dreaming" (with JB) | 2012 | — | Dream High 2 OST |
| "Come into My Heart" | 2014 | — | A Witch's Love OST |
| "Letting You Go" | 2015 | 91 | Kill Me, Heal Me OST |
| "Long Way" | 2015 | — | She Was Pretty OST |
| "Our Tears" | 2017 | — | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth OST |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory ||||

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2013 | Best New Actor | Pots of Gold | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2015 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Kill Me, Heal Me, She Was Pretty | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2018 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | What's Wrong with Secretary Kim | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Itaewon Class | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2021 | Popular Star Award, Actor | Itaewon Class | Nominated |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2017 | Fabulous Award | Fight for My Way | Won |
| Asia Artist Awards | 2017 | Best Star Award | Fight for My Way | Won |
| Asian Film Awards | 2019 | AFA Rising Star Award | Park Seo-joon | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2014 | Best New Actor – Television | One Warm Word | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor – Film | The Chronicles of Evil | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2018 | Best Actor – Television | Fight for My Way | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2020 | Best Actor – Television | Itaewon Class | Nominated |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2020 | TikTok Popularity Award (Male) | Itaewon Class | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | The Chronicles of Evil | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2015 | Popular Star Award | The Chronicles of Evil | Won |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2020 | Most Influential Male Actor – Trend Icon | Park Seo-joon | Won |
| Buil Film Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor | Midnight Runners | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | The Chronicles of Evil | Nominated |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2018 | Best New Actor | Midnight Runners | Nominated |
| Cosmo Beauty Awards | 2018 | Annual Shining Beauty Idol | Park Seo-joon | Won |
| Fashionista Awards | 2015 | Best Fashion in TV | She Was Pretty | Won |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | The Chronicles of Evil | Nominated |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor | Midnight Runners | Won |
| Herald Donga Lifestyle Awards | 2014 | Best Style of the Year | Park Seo-joon | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Fight for My Way, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Fight for My Way | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Netizen Award, Actor | Fight for My Way | Won |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2017 | Best Couple Award | Park Seo-joon with Kim Ji-won Fight for My Way | Won |
| KBS WORLD Global Fan Awards | 2018 | Best Couple Award | Park Seo-joon with Kim Ji-won Fight for My Way | Won |
| KOFRA Film Awards | 2018 | Best New Actor | Midnight Runners | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2013 | Best New Actor | Pots of Gold | Won |
| Korea Drama Awards | 2018 | Top Excellence Award, Actor | What's Wrong with Secretary Kim | Nominated |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor | Midnight Runners | Won |
| Korea Film Actors Association Awards | 2017 | Popular Star Award | Midnight Runners | Won |
| Korea Tourism Awards | 2018 | Special Merit Award | Park Seo-joon | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2016 | Best New Actor | The Chronicles of Evil | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2013 | Best New Actor | Pots of Gold | Nominated |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2015 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Kill Me, Heal Me, She Was Pretty | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2015 | Popularity Award, Actor | Kill Me, Heal Me, She Was Pretty | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2015 | Top 10 Stars Award | Kill Me, Heal Me, She Was Pretty | Won |
| MBC Drama Awards | 2015 | Best Couple Award | Park Seo-joon with Ji Sung Kill Me, Heal Me | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2014 | New Star Award | One Warm Word | Won |
| Seoul International Drama Awards | 2018 | Outstanding Korean Actor | Fight for My Way | Won |
| The Seoul Awards | 2017 | Best New Actor (Film) | Midnight Runners | Nominated |
| tvN10 Awards | 2016 | Romantic-Comedy King | A Witch's Love | Nominated |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
| Forbes | 2018 | Korea Power Celebrity | 22nd |
| Forbes | 2019 | Korea Power Celebrity | 30th |
| Forbes | 2021 | Korea Power Celebrity | 14th |
| Forbes | 2022 | Korea Power Celebrity | 12th |