ProfileMeet Park Ji-hyun, rising star of K-dramas Flex X Cop and See You at Work Tomorrow!

Park Ji-hyun is kicking off the summer in style with two projects: the buzzy K-pop comedy film Wild Sing and the glossy workplace drama series See You at Work Tomorrow! She displays considerable range across these projects, which is of little surprise to those who have been paying attention. Despite seeming like a veteran of the screen, Park only took on her first leading role two years ago in the series Flex X Cop. Although she knew she wanted to be an actress by the time she was a teenager, her family convinced her to try something else at university before committing to performing. She opted to study Spanish at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, where she juggled academics and acting school classes. This led to getting a slightly later start than many of her peers, but she signed with an agency in 2016 and began taking on bit parts when she was 22, appearing in period dramas such as Saimdang, Memoir of Colors and The King in Love, both in 2017. Thankfully, it did not take long for audiences to notice the unique screen aura that makes her appear mature beyond her years. Why we love her What sets Park apart is her ability to melt into a range of personas rather than playing a particular type. Her chameleonic streak is also seen in her personal life. Though known to be a bit of a homebody, Park pursues various hobbies including playing golf and practising ballet with some of her actor friends. She has also made no secret of her love for video games and K-pop. Despite having become a celebrity in her own right, she is not above fangirling whenever she meets one of her K-pop idols. The star-making roles Just a year after her debut, Park landed a leading role in the low-budget “found footage” horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018), about a group of amateur supernatural investigators who visit the Gonjiam Asylum, a real location reputed to be haunted. She starred alongside other future stars, including Wi Ha-joon and Park Sung-hoon, and earned a best new actress nomination at South Korea’s Blue Dragon Film Awards. Park then made an impression as one of the secondary leads in the 2020 drama Do You Like Brahms? She was praised for the depth she brought to her character, a conventional corporate heiress archetype who tries to leave the family business following her mother’s death. Park took on a smaller but even more impactful role in the webtoon adaptation Yumi’s Cells (2021), playing the rival of Kim Go-eun’s protagonist as they fight for the affections of Ahn Bo-hyun’s character. Despite her limited screen time, Park played her frustrated, petty character realistically and memorably. She then returned to the world of chaebol (Korean family-run corporation) dramas in Reborn Rich (2022), a hugely successful fantasy drama show led by Song Joong-ki. Park played a high-society art gallery curator who marries into the powerful Soonyang Corporation. The iconic parts In 2024, Park landed her first leading role, once again opposite Ahn Bo-hyun, in the action-comedy series Flex X Cop. This was also the first project she did not have to audition for. She played a no-nonsense detective forced to partner with Ahn’s immature corporate heir, who is given a badge as a publicity stunt. Park’s next major drama saw her reunite with her other Yumi’s Cells co-star, once again playing Kim Go-eun’s romantic rival in the Netflix series You and Everything Else. Widely considered one of the best K-dramas of 2025, the series afforded Park her most complex role to date. She portrayed Cheon Sang-yeon from her febrile college days all the way to her forties, after she had become a celebrated film producer and developed a terminal illness. The unheralded performances Though not well known overseas, the erotic thriller Hidden Face (2024), based on the Spanish-Colombian film The Hidden Face, drew considerable attention for Park’s daring part. In the twisty and steamy story, Park played the mistress of a conductor whose fiancée becomes trapped in a hidden room in their home. The film became the first R-rated release to cross the 1 million admissions mark in South Korea since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, earning Park several accolades, including a brace of best supporting actress awards. Tomorrow’s turns Park will next be seen in the big-screen thriller Sinner alongside Jung Sung-il and Lee Jun-young. Slated for late 2026, the film will see her playing South Korea’s last death row inmate. Jung will play the prosecutor in charge of her case in 1997. Twenty years later, he reads her letters as he prepares for his Minister of Justice confirmation hearing. Next year, Park will reunite with her Reborn Rich co-star Song Joong-ki in the KBS drama Love Cloud. The series will follow a former flight instructor and his trainee pilot, played by Song and Park respectively, who meet again years later on South Korea’s Jeju Island. This time around, the tables have turned – she is a licensed pilot and he has become an air traffic controller.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}After making a late start in acting, Park quickly rose to the top playing layered characters in K-dramas from Yumi’s Cells to Reborn Rich

After making a late start in acting, Park quickly rose to the top playing layered characters in K-dramas from Yumi’s Cells to Reborn Rich