Park Seo-joon

• Name — Park Seo-joon • Birth Name — Park Yong-kyu • Born — 16 December 1988 • Birthplace — Seoul, South Korea • Education — Seoul Institute of the Arts • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 2011–present • Agent — Awesome ENT Park Yong-kyu (born December 16, 1988), better known by the stage name Park Seo-joon (박서준), is a South Korean actor. He first gained wide recognition for starring in the television series Fight for My Way (2017) and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018), gaining further prominence with dramas Itaewon Class (2020) and Gyeongseong Creature (2023–2024). He also starred in films The Chronicles of Evil (2015) and Midnight Runners (2017), and made his Hollywood debut with superhero film The Marvels in 2023.

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.

• Illustration — At The Chronicles of Evil stage greeting in Busan, 2015 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.

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. Park starred in the romance drama series Surely Tomorrow opposite Won Ji-an which premiered in JTBC in 2025.

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.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. Reference(s) • 2012 — Dream High 2 — Lee Si-woo • Family — Cha Seo-joon • 2013 — Pots of Gold — Park Hyun-tae • Drama Festival: The Sleeping Witch — Kim Him-chan • One Warm Word — Song Min-soo • 2014 — A Witch's Love — Yoon Dong-ha • Mama — adult Han Geu-roo — Cameo (episode 24) • 2015 — Kill Me, Heal Me — Oh Ri-on • 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-ro-yi • Record of Youth — Song Min-soo — Cameo (episode 9–10) • 2023–2024 — Gyeongseong Creature — Jang Tae-sang / Ho-jae — Season 1–2 • 2025–2026 — Surely Tomorrow — Lee Gyeong-do • 2026 — Bloodhounds — Choi Sin-hyeong — Cameo (season 2) • 2027 — Born Guilty — Pengi

• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. Reference(s) • 2013–2015 — Music Bank — Host — with Yoon Bo-ra • 2018 — Youn's Kitchen — Cast member — Season 2 • 2021 — Youn's Stay • 2022 — In the Soop: Friendcation • Young Actors' Retreat • 2023–2024 — Jinny's Kitchen — 2 seasons • 2023 — Jinny's Kitchen: Team Building

• Year — Title — Notes — Ref. Reference(s) • 2014 — 2014 SBS Drama Awards — with Lee Hwi-jae and Park Shin-hye

• Year — Song title — Artist — Ref. Reference(s) • 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

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement • Publisher — Year — Listicle — Placement — Ref. Reference(s) • Forbes — 2018 — Korea Power Celebrity — 22nd • 2019 — 30th • 2021 — 14th • 2022 — 12th • 2025 — 35th