Park Sung-hoon (Korean: 박성훈; born February 18, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career with a small role in the film A Frozen Flower (2008). He became known through the plays Rooftop Room Cat, The History Boys, and Model Students. Park began to attract attention with supporting roles in SBS' Three Days (2014), Six Flying Dragons (2015–2016) and Don't Dare to Dream (2016). It was through the film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) and KBS 2TV's My Only One (2018–2019) which contributed to wider audience recognition. He stepped up as a leading role in the KBS2 Wednesday-Thursday drama series Memorials.
Park is better known in recent years for his villainous roles in the dramas The Glory (2022–2023) and Queen of Tears (2024), as well as playing the transgender ex-soldier Cho Hyun-ju in season 2 (2024) and season 3 (2025) of Netflix drama Squid Game.
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Early life and education
Park Sung-hoon, the youngest son with two older sisters, was born on February 18, 1985, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He faced financial hardships during his upbringing because his father lost his job at the bank as a result of the IMF crisis. Despite attending French class of Gwacheon Foreign Language High School, he did not find much interest in studying. It was only during his third year of high school that he began contemplating his future career. This led him to enroll in Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, majoring in acting and film, as he had always been fond of movies.
At the age of 20, he took on his first lead role in a school class workshop, portraying Deokbae in the play titled Taxi Driver, written by director Jang Jin. He put on one performance every semester and the experience left a lasting impression on him. As he continued to participate in theater, he became more passionate about it. It was only later when he heard seniors describe the feeling of performing and receiving applause as akin to taking drugs that he realized the allure of the stage. From then on, his interest in theater only grew stronger.
Career
2008–2010: Career beginnings
After graduating, Park worked in the theater company Route 21. He was also doing odd jobs to make a living. He spent about 8–9 months in the theater company, and while he enjoyed the stage work, he found it frustrating. He had to work part-time until late at night, sleep in the theater, and couldn't secure a role due to teachers and senior actors receiving priority. He also only earned 50,000 won in total for those 9 months.
Following his departure from the theater company, Park secured minor roles in the films A Frozen Flower (2008) and Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009). Even after his film debut in 2008, Park endured a three-and-a-half-year period without any acting opportunities. After joining an agency, Park's opportunities remained limited. In the span of a year and a half, he only auditioned three times, which left him feeling disheartened about his career prospects. In 2009, he applied for the KBS voice actor recruitment test but failing in the final interview. To survive, he took on part-time employment at a concert hall, assuming the roles of both an announcer and a merchandise vendor; first in the musical concert "Pump Boyz," "Hedwig Show," and Yoon Do-hyun's Band Concert. Park's job at the concert hall allowed him to observe senior artists' performances. He frequently received business cards by chance, which led to many meetings. Park later met with the Shownote team leader, who connected him with people in the theater industry.
2011–2017: Theater and breakthrough roles in television
In 2011, Park had the opportunity to act on stage even though he had little acting experience. During his performance in his first theater play, Inside the Minke Whale, the joy of acting that he had forgotten about was rekindled. The following year, he also took on minor roles in two television dramas, which as soldier in MBC historical drama Moon Embracing the Sun and as high school student KBS2 drama Big. Shortly after, Park joined the fifth season of the popular play Cats on the Roof, for which over 1,000 actors applied. Despite the fierce competition ratio of 150 to 1, Park was selected for the titular role of Lee Kyung-min. He reprised this role in the sixth season as well.
In the first six months of 2013, Park had a busy schedule. Park played the role of Lockwood in Korean premiere of Alan Bennett's play The History Boys. Subsequently, He had the task of balancing his obligations in both the MBC drama You Are the Boss! and the play Model Students. In drama You Are the Boss! he appeared as Yu Deok-hwa, the high school classmate of the main character Lee Seon-nam (played by Shim Hyung-tak). Simultaneously, he met the audience in the role of Seo Min-yeong, a model student with a shrewd paranoia, in the play Model Students. Juggling two different projects simultaneously and switching between such contrasting characters was undoubtedly challenging. Park stated that he enjoyed the process.
Following a short break, his next project was a guest appearance in John Cariani's omnibus play Almost, Maine. This performance was a special stage commemorating the 10th anniversary of the theater company Ganda. Producer Ahn Hyeok-won invited him and Park's decision to participate as a guest was influenced by his agency mates, Jin Seon-kyu and Lee Hee-joon, who were members of Ganda. In the fifth episode titled "They Fell", Park appeared as Chad opposite Yoon Na-moo as Randy, with whom he had previously worked in the play Model Students.
In 2014, Park appeared as a communications team leader in SBS drama Three Days and worked alongside senior actors in the industry. Then Park joined performance delivery service Ganda's play Judo Boy, as Min-wook, a boxer. This was one of his memorable performances was a result of developing camaraderie with his fellow actors, as they practiced together for four to five months.
2018–2021: Leading roles onscreen
In 2018, Park Sung-hoon made an appearance as lead role named Sung-hoon in Jeong Beom-sik's horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum. The film was a box office success, drawing 2.6 million viewers. As a result, Park's recognition among audiences saw a significant increase.
In the same year, Park starred in the KBS2 weekend drama My Only One, which ended with a wiewership rating of around 49%. His portrayal of dentist Jang Go-rae received positive audience response, earning him the endearing title of 'the nation's son-in-law'. At the end of that year, he was honored with the Best New Actor Award at the 2018 KBS Drama Awards. In 2019, Park also received a nomination in the Best New Actor category 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.
In 2019, Park donated his talent as a narrator for a barrier-free version of Song Won-geun's documentary film Kim Bok-dong. The documentary was about the story of Kim Bok-dong, a comfort woman who traveled around the world demanding an apology from Japan and had fought until the end despite being over 90 years old. She had done this from 1992 until her death in January 2019. The film was released in Korea in August and had garnered significant attention from the public.
In the same year, Park starred in two dramas. Justice as Tak Soo-ho (33 years old), Jung Jin Group's Vice Chairman. It is based on the web novel Justice, written by Jang Ho and illustrated by Elja. The series aired on KBS2's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST) from July 17 to September 5, 2019. In Psychopath Diary, Park acted as Seo In-woo, the real psychopathic serial killer who is also the director of Daehan Securities where Yook Dong-sik (Yoon Shi-yoon) works. It aired on tvN from November 20, 2019 to January 9, 2020.
Park also appeared in a Korean historical drama film Forbidden Dream released on December 26, 2019. The film was directed by Hur Jin-ho and written by Jung Bum-shik and Lee Ji-min, with the screenplay written by Choi Gun-ho. Based on a true story, the film delves into the life of Sejong the Great (Han Suk-kyu), the king of the Joseon dynasty in Korea, and his relationship with his most brilliant scientist, Jang Yeong-sil (Choi Min-sik). In the film, Park acted in a supporting role Crown Prince Yi Hyang. The film made its international debut at the 2020 New York Asian Film Festival in August of that year.
2022–present: Wider recognition, recent screen works and theater comeback
In 2022, Park took on the supporting role of Jeon Jae-joon in the highly anticipated Netflix original series called The Glory. The series, written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Ahn Gil-ho, was a revenge psychological thriller. Park starred alongside Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, and Jung Sung-il. Park's character, Jeon Jae-joon, was a color-blind heir of a country club and was involved in the mistreatment of Dong-Eun (Song Hye-kyo). The series was released in two parts, with Part 1 premiering on December 30, 2022, and Part 2 on March 10, 2023. The series received critical acclaim and achieved high viewership. It was nominated for eight awards at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards, winning three, including Best Drama, Best Actress for Song Hye-kyo, and Best Supporting Actress for Lim Ji-yeon. Park was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Award. He also earned a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2nd Blue Dragon Series Awards.
The cast for Season 2 of Netflix original series Squid Game was revealed at Netflix's global fan event Tudum held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on June 17, 2023. In addition to the return of Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, and Gong Yoo, who played in Season 1, Park was a new contestant alongside Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Lee Jin-wook and Yang Dong-geun.
Park also took on role in the film Hail to Hell, which tackles the issue of digital sexual crimes. In the film, he portrayed the character Han Myeong-ho, an unscrupulous villain with a distinct contrast to Jeon Jae-jun. It premiered at the 27th Busan International Film Festival. His portrayal earned him a nomination in the Best New Actor category at the 59th Grand Bell Awards.
Meanwhile, in dramas, Park took on a non-antagonistic role. In the series Not Others, he portrayed the character Eun Jae-won, the director of Namchon Police Station. The drama is based on a webtoon of the same Korean title, which was serialized on Kakao Webtoon from 2019 to 2022. It is an original production by Genie TV, and is available for streaming on its platform, as well as on TVING in South Korea, and on Viki in selected regions. It also broadcast on ENA from July 17 to August 22, 2023 every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST). The drama is set to return for a second season, scheduled to be released in 2025. In the mystery series The Kidnapping Day, Park acted as Park Sang-yoon, a violent crime detective. The drama also starred Yoon Kye-sang, Jeon Yu-na, and Kim Shin-rok. It is based on a mystery novel of the same title by writer Jung Hae-yeon. It broadcast on ENA from September 13 to October 25, 2023, every Wednesday and Thursday at 21:00 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in selected regions.
Personal life
In March 2017, his agency confirmed that Park and Ryu Hyun-kyung were dating. On August 5, 2022, the couple announced their breakup after 6 years of dating.
On December 30, 2024, Park faced controversy for posting a Japanese adult video cover parodying Squid Game on his Instagram story. Though there was speculation that his account was hacked, his agency confirmed that Park was responsible for sharing the photo, explaining that he had received it in a DM and meant to forward it to a company representative. In an interview on January 8, 2025, Park apologized for uploading the screenshot and expressed regret for causing this controversy. He then confirmed his agency's second statement, saying he thought the image was problematic and meant to send it to his agency for further review.
