Park Bo-gum | |
|---|---|
| Park in April 2025 | |
| Born | June 16, 1993 |
| Alma mater | Myongji University (BA) Sangmyung University (MA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Agent | The Black Label |
| Works | |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels | Pony Canyon |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 박보검 |
| Hanja | 朴寶劍 |
| RR | bakbogeom |
| MR | pakpogŏm |
| Signature | |
| | |
Park Bo-gum (Korean : 박보검; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor and singer. Recognized for his work in film and television, he is the first actor to top the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list and is the youngest actor to be named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year twice. Regarded as a prominent figure of the Korean Wave, he is the recipient of numerous accolades and media outlets have referred to him with various sobriquets including "Prince of Asia".
Park began his acting career in 2011 with roles in film and television. In 2015, he appeared in the crime thriller Coin Locker Girl which earned him a nomination for Best New Actor in Film at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards. He had his breakthrough roles with the psychological series Hello Monster (2015) and coming-of-age drama Reply 1988 (2015–2016), both of which won him several Best New Actor and Popularity awards. In 2016, Park received international recognition and established himself as a leading actor with the historical drama Love in the Moonlight . He became the youngest recipient of Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year title and received his first nomination for Best Actor at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards. He achieved further critical and commercial successes with the melodrama Encounter (2018–2019) and coming-of-age series Record of Youth (2020).
After completing his mandatory military service in 2022, Park made his theater debut in the original Korean musical Let Me Fly and was nominated for Best New Actor at the Korea Musical Awards. In 2025, he was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year for the second time after starring in the slice-of-life series When Life Gives You Tangerines and action-comedy Good Boy. He received several accolades for his performances including his second nomination for Best Actor at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards and a Popularity Award win at the 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards.
Outside acting, Park debuted as a singer in 2018 with the promotional single "Let's Go See The Stars". Under Pony Canyon, he has released the Japanese-language singles "Bloomin'" (2019) and "All My Love" (2020), as well as studio album Blue Bird (2020), all of which charted and spent several weeks in the Oricon singles and albums charts. He also received recognition for hosting his eponymous late-night music talk show The Seasons: Park Bo-gum’s Cantabile (2025). A licensed barber, Park stars in his own reality show The Village Barber (2026) which chronicles his life as a barbershop owner in rural South Korea.
Park was born in Mok-dong, Seoul, South Korea on June 16, 1993, the youngest of three siblings. [1] His given name, "Bo-gum" (Korean : 보검; Hanja : 寶劍), means "precious sword". [2] He started learning to play the piano when he was in kindergarten and was a choir member. [3] [4] He was also a member of the varsity swimming team of Seoul Mokdong Middle School. [5] His mother died when he was in fourth grade. [6]
Park graduated from Shinmok High School in 2012, and enrolled at Myongji University as a musical theatre undergraduate in March 2014. [7] [8] He represented his university's cultural overseas exchange program in Europe. [9] Park also directed a one-act play based on Anton Chekov's works, [10] and served as music director in his graduating class's production of Hairspray . [11] He received his baccalaureate in February 2018, [12] and earned a master's degree in New Media Music at the Graduate School of Sangmyung University. [13] [14]
Initially wanting to be a singer-songwriter, Park sent an audition tape of himself singing and playing the piano during his sophomore year of high school to prominent entertainment companies and received callbacks from SM, YG, and JYP, among others. [15] [16] He signed with an acting agency after a talent agent from SidusHQ suggested that he pursue acting instead of his original goal of starting a music career. [17] [18] The following year, as a high school junior, Park made his acting debut with a supporting role in the 2011 thriller film Blind . [19] After joining Blossom Entertainment the following year, he played supporting roles in historical drama Bridal Mask (2012), the KBS drama special Still Picture (2012), and the action-comedy movie Runway Cop (2012). [20] Park's first significant role came in the weekend drama Wonderful Mama in 2013 playing a flirty art student. [21]
In 2014, Park portrayed the teenage version of the main character in the melodrama Wonderful Days and played a prodigy cellist in the KBS2's Naeil's Cantabile , an adaptation of the Japanese manga Nodame Cantabile . [22] [23] These roles earned him the Best New Actor nominations at both the 2014 KBS Drama Awards and APAN Star Awards. [24] [25] He subsequently appeared in the films A Hard Day (2014), directed by Kim Seong-hun and screened at Cannes Film Festival, and The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014), directed by Kim Han-min. [26] [27] In May 2015, Park joined Music Bank as a co-host, where he attracted attention for both his singing and hosting abilities. [28] He received the Best Newcomer Award at the 14th KBS Entertainment Awards. [29] [30]
In a departure from his previous roles, Park drew positive reviews from both audiences and critics for his performance in the crime drama Hello Monster (2015). [31] His portrayal earned him the Popularity Award and Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards. [32] The same year, he appeared in Han Jun-hee's neo-noir film Coin Locker Girl . [33] The role earned him a nomination for the Best New Actor in Film at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards and won him the Rising Star Award at the 11th MaxMovie Awards. [34] [35]
Park next starred in Reply 1988 (2015–2016), the third installment of the Reply anthology series, portraying the Go-player Choi Taek. [36] The series, written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho, achieved the highest viewership in Korean cable television history at the time of airing. Its popularity led media outlets to refer to Park as "Nation's Little Brother". [37] The role significantly increased his popularity in South Korea and contributed to his recognition as an emerging Korean Wave star. He received the Best International Artist Award at the Top Chinese Music Awards, the Best Rising Star Award at the DramaFever Awards, and the Asia Star Award at the tvN10 Awards. [38] [39] [40] [41]
In February 2016, Park appeared in the fourth season of tvN's travel-reality program Youth Over Flowers set in Africa, produced by Na Yeong-seok. [42] [43] After more than a year as a Music Bank host, he left the program in June 2016. [44] In August of the same year, Park took on his first leading role as Crown Prince Lee Young in KBS2's historical drama Love in the Moonlight , directed by Kim Seong-yoon and based on the webtoon Moonlight Drawn By Clouds. [45] [46] [47] A teaser video featuring Park in character wearing a dragon robe and dancing along to "Bomba" was widely shared online and became the subject of several parodies. [48] The series was a major ratings success and was widely popular leading to Park being referred to as "Nation's Crown Prince" and "Prince of Asia". [49] [50] For his performance, Park received the Top Excellence Award at the 2016 KBS Drama Awards. Additionally, the role earned him his first nomination for Best Actor – Television and won him the Most Popular Actor Award at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards. [51] He also released his first original soundtrack, "My Person", for Love in the Moonlight, which debuted at number three on the Gaon Music Chart. [52] [53] [54] Park was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2016 and became the first actor to top the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 list in 2017. [55]
Park then took a two-year hiatus from acting to focus on his studies, [56] and after graduating in 2018, he returned to television with his first contemporary leading role in the romantic melodrama Encounter (2018–2019). [57] [58] His performance drew positive notice, and the series has one of the highest viewership in Korean cable television history. [59] Media outlets referred to him as "Nation's Boyfriend", [60] and he ranked fourth in Gallup Korea's annual Television Actor of the Year survey in 2018. [61] Additionally Park released the promotional single "Let's Go See the Stars" (2018) marking his debut as a singer. [62] This was followed with singles "Bloomin'" and "Dear My Friend" in 2019 which are part of his debut studio album in Japan titled Blue Bird under Pony Canyon. "Bloomin'" debuted at #3 and spent 11 weeks in Oricon Singles Chart, [63] with Blue Bird charting at #8 for 14 weeks in Oricon Albums Chart. [64] [65] The Japanese-language album contains 11 tracks. [66] [67] In August 2020, Park released the single "All My Love" to mark his ninth acting debut anniversary. [68] It peaked at #11 spending five weeks in Oricon Singles Chart. [63]
In 2020, the coming-of-age drama Record of Youth starring Park as an aspiring model was released. It completed filming a week before his military enlistment in August 2020. [69] His performance received positive reviews, with some media outlets referring to him as a "'National Treasure'-level actor". [70] [50] He ranked second in Gallup Korea's annual Television Actor of the Year survey in 2020. [71] In 2021, the science fiction film Seo Bok was released. Directed by Lee Yong-ju, it marked Park's first leading role in a feature film. [72] [73] His portrayal of a human clone was noted positively by critics. [74] [75] [76] For his performance, he won the Best New Actor at the 41st Golden Cinematography Awards. [77] Following Park's discharge from serving the Republic of Korea Navy, he joined TVING's membership training-inspired entertainment program Young Actors' Retreat in 2022 which reunited him with the cast of Love in the Moonlight (2016). [78] After ten years with Blossom Entertainment, Park left the company after his contract expiration in December 2022. [79]
In January 2023, Park signed with agency The Black Label. [80] He subsequently made his theater debut with the revival of the original Korean time-travel musical Let Me Fly playing the lead role of young Nam-won, an ambitious fashion student. [81] [82] Per industry reports, his casting resulted to tickets selling out in two minutes. [83] Park's performance earned positive reviews and he was nominated for Best New Actor at the Korea Musical Awards. [84] [85] He also appeared in Kim Tae-yong's science fiction film Wonderland (2024), which was released in theaters and on Netflix. [86] In November 2024, Park hosted the 26th MAMA Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. [87] Additionally, he made an appearance in director Kim Tae-ho's reality show My Name is Gabriel (2024) on JTBC, which involved Park assuming the life of an Irish choir leader in Dublin for three days. [88]
In March 2025, Park starred in the Netflix television series When Life Gives You Tangerines directed by Kim Won-seok and written by Lim Sang-choon. Park's portrayal of Yang Gwan-sik, a devoted husband and father, inspired the "Gwan-sik-byeong" (Gwan-sik-ness) meme and the trended phrase "my own Gwan-sik", used by online commenters to describe men resembling the character. Media outlets referred to Gwan-sik as an idealized representation of fatherhood and used the nickname "Nation's Father" for the character. [89] His performance received positive reviews from both audiences and critics and earned him his second nomination for Best Actor – Television at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards. [90] [91] [92] He was also nominated for the Best Actor Award and won the Popularity Award at the 2025 Blue Dragon Series Awards. [93] [94] In addition, the role earned him two Grand Prizes (Daesang): Best Actor of the Year – OTT at the 10th Asia Artist Awards and Performer of the Year at the Fundex Awards. [95] [96] Park also starred in the JTBC television series Good Boy in May 2025, directed by Shim Na-yeon. [97] Playing a boxer-turned-police officer, critics noted his shift to an action-oriented role [97] and commented on his versatility in portraying action, comedy, and romance. [98] His performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the 2025 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards. [99] He also released an original soundtrack for the series's titled "Waterfall". [100] In addition to his acting roles in 2025, Park hosted KBS2's late-night music talk show The Seasons: Park Bo-gum's Cantabile , for which he received the Best Entertainer Award at the 52nd Korea Broadcasting Prizes. [101] [102] He was also nominated for the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 23rd KBS Entertainment Awards and won the Entertainer of the Year award. [103] [104] Park also starred in the three-episode 10th Anniversary special of Reply 1988, and provided the vocals and piano accompaniment for the show's soundtrack "Everyday With You", released on December 19, 2025. [105] With a series of well-received projects, Moon Ji-yeon of The Chosun Ilbo referred to 2025 as the "Year of Park Bo-gum". [106] Park was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in December 2025, his second time being selected. [107]
In January 2026, he starred in his own reality show The Village Barber for TvN which follows him working as a barber in the countryside. [108] In addition to the barber's license he obtained while serving his mandatory military service in 2022, he also trained for a hairdresser’s license in 2025. [109]
Park became widely known in South Korea in his early twenties. [110] Regarded as a prominent figure of the Korean Wave, [111] the official web portal of the South Korean government has described him as a " hallyu superstar". [112] Yonhap News has characterized him as "widely beloved for his wholesome and upright image", [91] while the Korean Film Council has described him as an "actor with innocent masculinity that has been rarely seen in Korean cinema". [113] [114] South China Morning Post wrote that although his "soft looks and easy smile" contributed to his early popularity, it was his "expressive performances and acting talent" that established his status in the industry. [110] Media outlets across Asia have also noted his versatility and acting range. [115] [116]
In 2016, Park became the youngest actor to be named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year at age 23, [117] [118] and later became the first actor to top the poll for a streaming project in 2025. [119] In 2017, he topped Forbes magazine's Korea Power Celebrity list, making him the first actor to do so, [120] [121] and has been included in the list regularly since. He was one of the torchbearers of the 2018 Winter Olympics. [122] Through his screen roles and public persona, he has been attributed several nicknames by media outlets, including "Nation's Little Brother", [123] "Nation's Crown Prince", [124] "Nation's Boyfriend", [60] "Nation's Son-in-Law", [125] [126] and "Prince of Asia". [50]
Park has served as an ambassador and endorser for a wide range of domestic and international brands. [127] [128] In 2016, the Korean Business Research Institute has referred to his strong consumer influence as the "Park Bo-gum Effect", [129] and was voted the Top Celebrity Endorser of 2017 by South Korean marketing executives. [130] Considered a "blue chip" in the advertising world, [131] he has been consistently ranked highly in the annual Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation's Advertising Model of the Year surveys. [132]
Park became the first actor appointed as the global ambassador of the French luxury brand Celine. [133] He is also a global ambassador for the Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega, [134] and American outdoor brand The North Face. [135] South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appointed Park in 2025 as the first male " Hallyu Cultural Artist" and led the promotion of hanbok globally. [136] He is the honorary ambassador for South Korean tourism in 2025, [137] [138] and is also an honorary ambassador of Incheon International Airport until 2028. [139] [140]
On August 31, 2020, Park enlisted as an active-duty soldier with the Republic of Korea Navy's Military Band and Honor Guard Cultural Promotion Corps as part of his compulsory military service. He was promoted to a sergeant in November 2021. Park was originally scheduled for discharge on April 30, 2022, [141] but was released on February 21, 2022, after using his remaining leave in accordance with the Ministry of Defense COVID-19 guidelines. [142] During his service, Park passed the National Technical Qualifications Certification for barbering. [143]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN [65] | |||
| Blue Bird |
Track listing
| 8 |
|
| Title | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Park Bo-gum Christmas Eve in Japan |
Track listing
| [145] |
| 2019 Park Bo-gum Asia Tour in Japan |
Track listing Disc 1
Disc 2
| [146] |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [147] | JPN [63] | |||||
| "My Person" (내 사람) | 2016 | 3 | — |
| Love in the Moonlight OST | [148] |
| "Bloomin'" | 2019 | — | 3 |
| Blue Bird | [149] |
| "Dear My Friend" | 2020 | — | — | — | ||
| "All My Love" | — [a] | 11 |
| Non-album single | [151] | |
| "Waterfall" (날 찾아가는 길) | 2025 | — | — | — | Good Boy OST | |
| "Uphill Road (ft. Yoon Jong-shin)" | — | — | — | Non-album single | [153] | |
| "Everyday With You (매일 그대와)" | Reply 1988 10th Anniversary OST | [154] | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [147] | JPN [63] | |||||
| "Let's Go See The Stars" (별 보러 가자) | 2018 | — [b] | — | — | Eider 2018 Fall/Winter Ad | [156] |
| "Happy Merry Christmas" | 2019 | — | — | — | Non-album single | [157] |
| "On My Way" | 2025 | — | — | — | Non-album single | [158] |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [147] | JPN [63] | |||||
| "The World is Changing" (세상은 변해가) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | 2023 | — | — | — | Let Me Fly OST | [159] |
| "Jeongbun-ah" (정분아) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "Narrow, Narrow Room" (좁고 좁은 방) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "Travel" (여행) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "Leader of Fashion" (패션의 리더) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "Turn the Needle + Seonhee 2" (바늘을 틀어 + 선희야 2) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "Travel (Special)" (여행 (Special)) (Let Me Fly Cast featuring Park Bo-gum) | ||||||
| "If It Was Me" (Piano by Park Bo-gum) | 2025 | — | — | — | Non-album single | [161] |
| "Hyehwa-dong (or Ssangmun-dong) (혜화동 (혹은 쌍문동))" (Ssangmun-dong Kids featuring Park Bo-gum) | Reply 1988 10th Anniversary OST | [162] | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | "Let's Go See The Stars" | Non-album single | [163] |
| 2019 | "Bloomin'" | Blue Bird | [164] |
| 2020 | "Dear My Friend | [165] | |
| "All My Love" | Non-album single | [166] | |
| 2025 | "Waterfall" | Good Boy OST | [167] |
| "On My Way" | Non-album single | [168] | |
| "Everyday With You" | Reply 1988 10th Anniversary OST | [169] | |
| "Hyehwa-dong (or Ssangmun-dong)” | [170] |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Date | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | |||||
| 2023 | Let Me Fly | 렛미플라이 | Nam-won (young) | Yes24 Stage 1 | Sep 26–Dec 10 | [171] |
| Pyeongchon Art Hall | December 23–24 | [172] | ||||
Park has received various awards and nominations across film, television, theater, and entertainment including two Grand Prizes (Daesang), two Baeksang Arts Awards, a Blue Dragon Series Award, a Seoul International Drama Award, and a Korea Broadcasting Prize. He has also received state recognitions, notably a Prime Minister's Commendation in 2022 for his participation in charitable and volunteer activities. [173] [174] Park has been included multiple times in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list and Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year survey, topping the former once and the latter twice. [175] [176] [107]
The strikingly talented actor and musician is continuing to ride the Korean Wave (한류) to international superstardom
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