Park Seo-joon‘s career might be about to take off when Marvel Studios’ The Marvels hits theaters in November, but the South Korean actor has long been a superstar in his home country. The lead of some of the most popular K-dramas of recent years, as well as a surprising movie talent, Park has been breaking ground in the Korean entertainment industry since 2011.
Here’s a look back at the television series and films featuring Park Seo-joon that are most worth your time, including dramas, comedies, and reality TV.
10. The Beauty Inside
Park Seo-joon might only be in The Beauty Inside for a hot second, but this excellent romantic comedy is definitely deserving of a place on this list. The premise is borrowed from the 2012 American film The Beauty Inside, where a man wakes up with a different appearance every day, forcing him to navigate how that hinders his romantic life, particularly with the woman he is falling for. Park plays one of the male lead Woo-jin’s different iterations.
9. She Was Pretty
She Was Pretty gave Park one of his breakout roles alongside the K-drama Kill Me, Heal Me. However, unlike in that series, in She Was Pretty, the Marvels actor plays the male protagonist. The story follows a man and a woman who used to be high school friends before growing apart. When they meet again, their appearances have done a full 180 – the girl, Hye-jin, who used to be a beautiful rich girl is now poor and awkward, and the boy, Sung-joon, has gone through the opposite. This concept might be a little outdated, but She Was Pretty was the drama that kickstarted it all for Park.
8. Fight for My Way
2017 was a huge year for Park. Not only did his new drama Fight For My Way become the number one show in South Korea, but one of his first successes on the big screen, and sixth place on this list, also premiered. Fight For My Way solidified Park’s status as one of the most eligible heartthrobs in the country thanks to his role as former famous taekwondo fighter Dong-ma. Of course, like most K-dramas, his main storyline on the show is a romantic one with Kim Ji-won’s Choi Ae-ra. The show was a hit, and so was its lead.
7. In The Soop: Friendcation
Reality TV occupies a huge place in South Korea’s television landscape. As such, regular actors, singers, and entertainers will often join different reality shows as a way to grow their fanbase. First conceived as a reality show for the Korean band BTS, In the Soop was given two spin-offs, one with another band called Seventeen, and another with BTS member V and his best friends. Featuring V, Park, and Parasite‘s Choi Woo-shik, Strong Girl Bong-soon‘s Park Hyung-sik, and rapper Peakboy, In The Soop: Friendcation features the friend group known as Wooga Squad enjoying a four-day vacation in Songjiho Beach.
6. Midnight Runners
By 2017, Park Seo-joon was already a solid name in Korean TV, but he had yet to properly make the leap into the film world. That was until Midnight Runners came along. Known for playing the male lead in romantic series, Midnight Runners was a great opportunity for Park to affirm his range both in the comedy and the action genres. The film follows two rookie policemen who decide to take matters into their own hands and solve a case that’s way above their rank.
5. Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth was the start of a lot of great things. This was the show that introduced Park Seo-joon to Wooga Squad members V/Kim Taehyung and Park Hyung-sik. This historical drama with a star-studded cast is set in the ancient Korean Silla Kingdom and follows the real elite group of young warriors known as the Hwarang. Through political storylines, as well as themes of friendship and loyalty, Hwarang soon reveals secrets about its characters that will change the course of their lives forever.
4. Jinny’s Kitchen
Park Seo-Joon, Kim Tae-hyung, and Choi Woo-shik are reality TV gold. After joining forces for Friendcation, Park and Choi invited Kim to come along for a new season of the tvN series that places Korean stars behind regular businesses, as they attempt to actually manage them. After two seasons led by Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, actor Lee Seo-Jin takes the reigns, opening a Korean street-food restaurant in the small Mexican town of Bacalar, and recruiting Park, Choi, Kim, and actress Jung Yu-mi as his staff. The role of quick-on-his-feet chef might just be the most attractive one Park has ever played.
3. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
If She Was Pretty and Fight For My Way made Park Seo-joon one to watch, then What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim positively skyrocketed his career. Based on a novel and webtoon of the same name, this romantic comedy tells the story of Lee Young-joon/Lee Sung-hyun, the handsome and successful but self-absorbed Vice-chairman of Yumyung Group. After his secretary Kim Mi-so decides to quit after nine years, he realizes he can no longer hide his feelings for her, and tries everything to win her heart.
2. Itaewon Class
From all the titles on this list — well, except number one, surely — Itaewon Class is the most popular. Thanks to its availability on Netflix, this realistic K-drama gained global popularity, making Park one of the most famous faces on Korean television overseas. Praised for its grounded portrayal of real-world issues, Itaewon Class accompanies the life of ex-convict Park Sae-ro-yi, who opens a bar-restaurant in the hopes of taking over the food empire run by the crooked CEO whose son killed his dad. Park delivers a career-best performance.
1. Parasite
Whether you watch it for Park Seo-joon’s tiny cameo or not, Parasite needs to be on everyone’s watchlist. The film that took the industry by storm in 2019 is highly regarded as one of the best of the past century. In this Bong Joon-Ho masterwork, Park plays the best friend of Choi Woo-shik’s Kevin/Ki-woo. He’s the former English tutor to the rich family’s older daughter, who leaves to go study abroad and recommends his friend for the position, thus effectively setting the movie’s whirlwind events into motion. He’s also the guy who gives the Kims the fateful scholar’s rock which is supposed to bring wealth to those who possess it.