From K-pop idol to a sought-after actor, Park Ji-hoon is having the time of his life after reaching one of Korea’s toughest box office milestones — and is now carrying that momentum into streaming success.

The 26-year-old singer and actor has been one of the most talked-about stars in the entertainment industry after his latest film, “The King’s Warden,” surpassed 16.8 million ticket admissions.


The film became the second most-watched film in Korean box office history, as well as the first film in two years to cross the coveted 10 million admissions mark since the action hit “The Roundup: Punishment” (2024). The achievement was seen as particularly meaningful at a time when the Korean film industry had been struggling through a prolonged slump.

Park played the film's lead, King Danjong (r. 1452-1455), the tragic young royal stripped of his throne during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The character’s sorrowful fate was amplified by Park’s soft yet piercing gaze and restrained emotional performance.

“One look at his eyes and you’ll instantly get why Park Ji-hoon played the role,” a Naver user said.

New momentum?

Park is now channeling that momentum into his latest television project, Tving’s original series “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” which also airs on cable channel tvN every Monday and Tuesday.

Shedding his melancholic King Danjong image, Park takes on a much brighter and livelier role as Kang Seong-jae, a young man from a troubled and underprivileged family who serves as an Army cook at the fictional Gangrim outpost.

The series fully embraces campy, absurd comedy, featuring over-the-top fantasy sequences in which Park plays an accordion made of dotorimuk, or acorn jelly, and appears dressed in seaweed.

And it appears Park’s wildly exaggerated comedic acting is paying off.

The series opened with a nationwide viewership rating of 5.8 percent on May 11 before climbing to 7.9 percent by its fourth episode on Tuesday, according to Nielsen Korea.

The drama also ranked No. 1 on Tving in driving paid subscriptions during its first week of release. It also recorded the platform’s highest first-week subscription contribution among Tving's original drama series released over the past three years.

Riding the wave of his growing popularity, Park has also been selected as the face of NongHyup Bank. In Korea, becoming a bank model is often considered a sign of strong public popularity and trust.

K-pop idol Park Ji-hoon

While actively building his acting career, Park has not abandoned the K-pop roots that first brought him into the spotlight.

Though he first debuted as a child actor, Park caught the public's attention through the second season of Mnet's K-pop boy band audition show “Produce 101" (2016-19) in 2017. He finished second and became one of the 11 members of Wanna One, which boasted hits like “Energetic” (2017) and “Boomerang” (2018).

Park also left behind one of the season’s most memorable idol catchphrases, “Save you in my heart,” accompanied by a signature gesture.

Despite the group's disbandment in January 2019, Park has actively pursued a career as a solo singer. He released his first solo EP, “O’Clock,” in March 2019, followed by albums including “Message” (2020) and “Blank or Black” (2023).

Continuing his singing career, he recently released a single, “Re:flect” on April 29, marking his first music project in three years.

He is also set to kick off a concert tour in May in Seoul and Tokyo, Japan.

Providing nostalgia for longtime fans, Park recently reunited with other Wanna One members through an appearance on a reality show, marking the group’s first on-screen reunion in seven years.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]