South Korean actor Park Ji-hoon featured in The King's Warden as the young, deposed King Danjong. The movie is now South Korea's highest-grossing movie of all time.
But anyone who has followed Park Ji-hoon's acting career knows that his performance did not come out of nowhere. Before he was an actor, Park Ji-hoon crooned lovely songs as a member of the K-pop group Wanna One. Since his transition into a full-fledged actor, he has delivered several memorable performances. Here are five titles that showcase exactly why Park Ji-hoon's acting career deserves your attention.
1. Weak Hero Class 1 (2022)
- Director: Yu Su-min
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Where to Watch: Netflix
Plot: Weak Hero was a hit upon its release, becoming Wavve's number one drama in paid subscribers within its first day. Park Ji-hoon plays Yeon Si-eun, a top student who appears physically weak but uses intelligence and quick decision-making to protect himself against school bullies with escalating violence. Park Ji-hoon won Best New Actor at both the 2023 Blue Dragon Series Awards and the Korea Drama Awards for this role. His work in Weak Hero Class remains as one of the most stellar performances of his career so far.
3. At a Distance, Spring Is Green (2021)
- Director: Heo Joon-seok
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Where to Watch: Viki
Plot: At a Distance, Spring Is Green is a campus drama that follows Yeo-joon, a bright student who shows only his good side in public while being deeply lonely on the inside. Park Ji-hoon plays the role with warmth and quiet vulnerability, and it is precisely this performance that put him on the radar of the Weak Hero production team. Filmmaker Han Jun-hee revealed that the production company was impressed with his performance in this drama and was suggested to director Yu Su-min, which led to his casting in Weak Hero.
From campus drama to high school action to dual-personality palace fantasy to historical epic, Park Ji-hoon has spent the years since Wanna One methodically proving his range as an actor. The King's Warden is the biggest stage he has performed on yet, but the craft on display in that film was built across each of these five titles.