Park Jeong-min’s unstoppable rise: How actor excelled at box office and beyond in 2025

Park Jeong-min, left, and Hwasa / Captured from Blue Dragon Film Awards

Actor Park Jeong-min is emerging as one of Korea’s most influential cultural figures of 2025, riding a wave of acclaim that spans film, publishing and even viral award show moments. A video of Park reacting to singer Hwasa’s performance at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards has surpassed 7 million views, and when combined with his follow-up reaction clip, the total easily exceeds 10 million views. As one comment on the video puts it, “Is anyone else still watching this on Dec. 1?”

Singers traditionally take the stage at the Blue Dragon Awards, but this year’s moment became unforgettable when Hwasa performed “Good Goodbye” barefoot, drawing praise for her vocal performance and charismatic presence. For the finale, she invited Park to recreate his appearance in her music video for the song, instantly igniting online buzz. Viewers say the unexpected reunion between the two delivered one of the ceremony’s standout highlights.

The interest has not faded. Hwasa’s music video has climbed to the No. 1 spot on YouTube’s music video rankings, amassing more than 53 million views, while the song has surged back to the top of major Korean charts such as Melon and Bugs.

Park’s presence extends far beyond a single viral moment. His film “The Ugly,” released in September, became one of the year’s most surprising box office stories. Produced on a budget of about 200 million won ($145,000), the low-budget project earned 11 billion won in revenue, a return exceeding 50 times its cost. Park played two roles, portraying a visually impaired man’s innocence as well as his hidden darkness, while also anchoring the narrative as the son seeking the truth behind his mother’s death. Fans praised his performance all the more after learning he appeared in the film without pay.

A scene from "The Ugly" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

Park is also gaining recognition as a publisher. After founding the publishing house Muze in 2020 following the success of his own essay collection, whose Korean title translates as “A Useful Person,” he said he aimed to showcase strong writers and meaningful stories without overturning the traditional practices of established publishers. His commitment paid off this year when Muze released author Kim Geum-hee’s novel “My First Summer, Wanju” and exhibited at the Seoul International Book Fair in June. On the opening day, more than a hundred people lined up at the Muze booth, leading to inventory shortages; photos of Park personally managing the booth quickly spread online.

Despite expanding into multiple fields, observers say Park’s steady, grounded attitude is what sets him apart. At the height of his popularity, he unexpectedly announced he would take a break from acting in 2025. On the YouTube channel “Fairy Jaehyung,” he said he had “officially decided to rest from acting in 2025” and was declining all offers, choosing not to be swept up in celebrity momentum but to follow what he believed was the right path. Although the break did not last the full year, the projects he delivered in 2025 are widely viewed as meaningful ones.

Park is next set to meet audiences in the stage production of “Life of Pi.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.