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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.
2. Weak Hero Class 2 (2025)
- Director: Yu Su-min
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Where to Watch: Netflix
Plot: Park Ji-hoon reprised his role as Yeon Si-eun in Weak Hero Class 2, this time with even greater confidence and emotional depth, picking up three years after the events of Class 1. In this sequel, after losing his best friends to school violence, Si-eun transfers to a new high school. As fate would have it, the school is teeming with delinquents. He faces off with its most dangerous forces and bands together with a small crew of misfits. The series ranked number one in Netflix’s non-English-language content category across 32 countries upon its release.
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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.
4. Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)
- Director: Hong Sung-chang
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Where to Watch: Netflix
Plot: Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency is set in the Joseon era, as the title suggests. The Flower Crew matchmaking agency, comprising Ma Hoon, Young-soo, and Do Joon, is approached by the new king to help him win a commoner girl he loves. Park Ji-hoon plays Go Young-soo, a fashionable young man whose skills with clothes and makeup make him an asset to the agency. Notably, this drama also features Byeon Woo-seok as Do Joon, another young face who has found skyrocketing stardom due to his recent role in A Lovely Runner. Park Ji-hoon topped Good Data Corporation’s buzzworthy list for eight consecutive weeks during its broadcast.
5. Love Song for Illusion (2024)
- Director: Park Man-young
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Where to Watch: Viki
Plot: The drama Love Song for Illusion finds Park Ji-hoon portraying dual roles. He plays King Sajo Hyeon, a ruler who struggles with an alter ego, Al-hee, and must navigate both a battle for the throne and an unexpected love. The fantasy period romance required Park Ji-hoon to portray two entirely distinct personalities inhabiting the same body. He won the Excellent Actor prize at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards for his performance.
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.
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