Park Jeong-min (actor)

Park Jeong-min (; born March 24, 1987) is a South Korean actor, writer, and book publisher. Known as a prolific Chungmu-ro actor, he is most acclaimed for starring in the films '' Bleak Night'' (2011), '' Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet'' (2016), '' Keys to the Heart'' (2018), '' Deliver Us from Evil'' (2020), '' Decision to Leave'' ''(2022),'' ''Smugglers'' (2023) and ''Uprising'' (2024). He is also the writer of best-selling book ''A Useful Person''.

Early life and education

In 2005, Park enrolled in Liberal Arts at the prestigious Korea University and subsequently dropped out with the intention to become a filmmaker. He then majored in film making at Korea National University of Arts, but later switched his major to acting after his military discharge.

Career

2011–2016: Breakthrough

In 2011, Park made his screen debut with the critically acclaimed independent film '' Bleak Night'', for which he was nominated for Best New Actor at the 20th Buil Film Awards.

He started appearing in mainstream films when he scored minor roles in romantic comedy film ''Dancing Queen'' (2012), action drama film '' Fists of Legend'' (2013) and disaster film '' The Flu'' (2013). In 2014, he starred in another Korean Academy of Film Arts graduation project and independent film ''Tinker Ticker'' which premiered at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Park made his breakthrough and rose to prominence in 2016 with his performance in '' Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet'' as Song Mong-gyu, a cousin of the poet Yun Dong-ju who was known for his resistance writings during the Japanese occupation of Korea. His portrayal garnered him Best New Actor awards at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards, 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards, 36th Golden Cinema Festival, the Korea Film Actors Association Awards, 16th Director's Cut Awards, and a Best Supporting Actor award at the 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards.

2017–present: Rising popularity and critical acclaim

In 2017, Park returned to theater as Romeo in the Korean adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' with Moon Geun-young playing Juliet.

In 2018, he starred in the comedy-drama film '' Keys to the Heart'' as a gifted pianist with autism and savant syndrome. For this role, Park practiced playing the piano for 6 hours a day for 6 months and executed all the piano playing scenes in the film without a substitute. The same year, Park appeared in the superhero film ''Psychokinesis'' and headlined Lee Joon-ik's drama film ''Sunset in My Hometown'' in which he plays a rapper. With the help of professional rappers, Park practiced rapping for a year, and wrote lyrics for the songs that appeared in the film.

In 2019, Park starred in occult horror film '' Svaha: The Sixth Finger'' and took on lead roles in the crime drama film '' Tazza: One Eyed Jack'' as well as the webtoon-based comedy film ''Start-Up''.

In 2020, Park was cast in Netflix original film ''Time to Hunt'' which premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. Later that year, he starred in the action film ''Deliver Us from Evil'' where he received widespread critical acclaim for his performance as Yui, a transgender woman who wishes to undergo sex reassignment surgery but cannot afford to do so. The film became the second highest-grossing South Korean film of 2020. For his portrayal, Park received numerous accolades including Best Supporting Actor awards at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards, 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, 40th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards. He also wrote and directed a music video for "Reconnect" as part of a special project in celebration of '' Elle Korea''s 28th anniversary.

In 2021, Park starred in drama film '' Miracle: Letters to the President'' and made his directorial debut with short film '' Unframed – Class Representative Election'' which premiered at the 26th Busan International Film Festival alongside Netflix original series '' Hellbound'' in which Park made his small screen comeback.

In 2023, he starred in action crime film ''Smugglers'' for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards, 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards, 59th Grand Bell Awards, and 32nd Buil Film Awards.

In 2024, Park was cast in another Netflix original series ''The 8 Show'' based on the Naver webtoons Money Game and Pie Game by Bae Jin-soo. Later that year, he starred in Netflix original film ''Uprising'' followed by sports drama film '' One Win'' and biographical period film ''Harbin'' where he portrayed South Korean independence activist Woo Deok-sun. ''Harbin'' premiered globally at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and topped the South Korean box office for four weeks following its release.

In 2025, he starred in the zombie comedy series ''Newtopia'', marking his third project with director Yoon Sung-hyun. Following the filming of upcoming spy action film ''Humint'' where he plays the role of a North Korean agent, Park effectively took a hiatus from all acting activities to focus on his book publishing career.

Other activities

Writing

In 2014, Park became a writer of a monthly column for magazine ''Topclass'' and established a following of devoted readers. His column is called "Eonhee", which means "to make others happy through words".

Known for his humorous and self-deprecating writing style, Park published his own book of essays in 2016, titled ''A Useful Person''. The book became a best-seller and had its 12th round of printing as of 2019.

Park also owned a bookstore called ''Book, Night, Day'' in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul which opened in 2019.

In 2022, he joined Baedal Minjok's newsletter ''The Taste of Living These Days'' as a columnist. In 2024, he was recruited as a contributor to the ''We Love Poetry'' newsletter where his self-written poems were published.

Book publishing

At the end of 2020, Park established ''Muze'', his own book publishing company. He became the editor of the first book published by the company titled ''Saving Work'' by journalist Kim So-young, a book which discusses animal rights. Park states that he aims to publish books about the marginalized as well as matters which are disregarded by the society.

In 2025, Park launched the Listening Novel Project with the release of writer Kim Keum-hee’s new full-length novel ''First Summer, Wanju'' as an audiobook to make literature more accessible to readers with visual impairments. His motivation behind the project arose after his father had lost his eyesight and was unable to enjoy the books published by him.

Park became the executive producer of the audiobook which stars Go Min-si, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Do-hoon, Choi Yang-rak, Kim Eui-sung and many others. Departing from the conventional practice of releasing print editions first, the audiobook version was completed and distributed ahead of the print release. Copies of the audiobook were donated to the National Library for the Disabled and other institutions serving visually impaired communities.

Filmography

Film

Short film

Television series

Music video appearances

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Park Jung-min
at SEM Company

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Jeong-min
1987 births
Living people
South Korean male film actors
South Korean male television actors
South Korean male stage actors
21st-century South Korean male actors
Korea National University of Arts alumni
South Korean male musical theatre actors
Best New Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners
Best Supporting Actor Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners
People from Chungju
Male actors from North Chungcheong Province