12 Things You Need To Know About "Itaewon Class" Lead Actor Park Seo-Joon

The arrogant and narcissistic company vice-chairman Lee Young-joon from "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim" is now the charming and clever restaurateur Park Sae-Ro-Yi in "Itaewon Class"

Alex Cruz

March 3, 2020, 10:56 AM

You might have met him as the brash but lovable MMA fighter Ko Dong-man in Fight for My Way or maybe as the very strict but charming boss Lee Young-joon in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, but one thing’s for sure, many can’t get enough of Park Seo-joon!

While you’re waiting for a new episode of Itaewon Class (there are only six episodes left!) or taking a breather after doing another K-Drama marathon, we’ve prepared some facts that any Park Seo-joon fan will appreciate. What is he like in real life? When will he enlist? And most important of all, what’s his ideal type?

Read 12 things about Park Seo-joon in the gallery below:

By Metro.StyleDecember 02 2023, 12:53 PM

1. He's an introvert.

He might look like he’s oozing with confidence but when he was growing up, Park Seo-joon was actually very shy. Ironically, it’s his shyness that led him to acting. In order to be more outgoing, he joined his school animation club and even attended a cosplay event which eventually led him to his passion for performing. Nowadays, Park Seo-joon still considers himself an introvert and says he’s usually quiet when he’s out with his friends.

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2. His showbiz career started late.

Unlike other K-Drama stars who debuted during their teens, Park Seo-joon landed his very first role in a TV series when he was 24 for "Dream High 2." He, however, doesn’t have any regrets because he was able to work part-time jobs and live life like a normal teenager which he thinks helps him when acting out some of his roles like Ko Dong-man in “Fight for My Way.”

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3. He once trained for eight hours a day for a role!

Talk about dedication! While training for his role as Yong-hoo in horror film "The Divine Fury," Park Seo-joon kept a strict training and exercise regimen for 8 hours a day in order to get in shape as quickly as possible.

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4. He's done with his mandatory military service.

If there’s one thing that K-Drama fans fear, it’s the mandatory military service that all Korean men are legally required to do; that means hiatus for their idols. It’s a good thing Park Seo-joon already enlisted when he was 19, right before he debuted in 2011. According to him, he had nothing else to do during that time and since his friends were all going, he decided to enlist as well.

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5. He has songs on Spotify.

Park Seo-joon is one of the few K-Drama actors who can boast that they both starred in a show and sang a song for its OST. Though he probably won’t boast about it since he thinks he doesn’t sing that well. We beg to differ. Go ahead and check it out and bless your ears while you read the rest of this list.

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6. He has a great sense of style.

He’s pretty low-key but if you manage to browse his Instagram (@bn_sj2013), you’d know he is very fashionable. He was also the very first Asian male model to be the face of Tommy Hilfiger. He's so stylish he's even been invited to watch fashion shows abroad. In case you didn't know, he's also an endorser of Filipino clothing brand Bench and was in Manila for a fan-meet last year.

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7. He has a YouTube channel, Record Park’s.

Still can’t get enough of Park Seo-joon while waiting for the next episode of “Itaewon Class?” Go and visit his official YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBKQ-Y2JH58htccQNAkjiWg/0), where he documents and shares a behind-the-scenes peek into his life on and off set.

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8. He has an ASMR video.

Google Park Seo-joon ASMR video. You’re welcome.

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9. He’s big on family.

Park Seo-joon is the eldest of three brothers and stated many times that he loves his family and that he misses them all the time since he’s living alone in Seoul. Cue collective "aaawww..."

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10. He’s very generous and he doesn’t brag about it!

In early 2019, during the Sokcho Wildfire, Park Seo-joon quietly donated to a charity under his real name, Park Yong-kyu. No one, not even his management, Awesome Ent., knew about it! They only caught wind of it after media outlets asked them to confirm that it was Seo-joon who was listed. This year, the actor was also one of the Korean celebrities who donated to help with the fight against coronavirus. He was reported to have donated ₩100,000,000 to the Daegu Social Welfare Fundraising Co., Ltd.

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11. He loves his bichon frisé.

Park Seo-joon's pet's name is Simba. Scroll for more photos of him with his pet.

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12. Listen up, he has an ideal type.

He has been linked to so many of his co-stars like Park Min-young (“What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”) and Kim Ji-won (“Fight for My Way”) but he’s always denied all the rumors. So, maybe, just maybe, you have a chance?! According to interviews, Park Seo-joon’s ideal type is somebody who has pretty hands, has a charming smile, can carry a good conversation, and, most important of all, can get him excited. Whatever that means. Are you that girl?

Photo Credit: @bn_sj2013

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