Park Seo-joon Milo Malaysia Ambassador Fun Facts
Cover How well do you know 'What's Wrong with Secretary Kim' and 'Itaewon Class' actor Park Seo-joon? (Photo: Getty Images)

His birth name, his original debut, his childhood dream, and more in this compilation of fun facts about 'Itaewon Class' actor Park Seo-joon

Coming to Kuala Lumpur as Milo Malaysia's ambassador for the first time is 'rom-com king' Park Seo-joon for an exclusive meet-and-greet with 300 lucky fans. The 34-year-old actor, known for his roles in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and Itaewon Class, caused a stir when he uttered the Malay tagline, Jom minum Milo (Let's drink Milo) in a television commercial for the popular chocolate-flavoured malt drink, which first aired in August 2022.

Read more: 5 home design lessons we’ve learnt from Park Seo-joon

Find out more about the dashing star in this compilation of fun facts.

Above Park Seo-joon's collaboration film with Milo Malaysia

His birth name

Born on December 16, 1988, Park Seo-joon is his stage name. His birth name is actually Park Yong-kyu and as people are generally unaware of his real name, he uses it when donating to charities.

His philanthropic efforts

In 2019, the generous actor, under his birth name, made a large donation of KRW100 million (approximately RM341,646) to Hope Bridge during the forest fire in Gangwon Province. The following year, he donated another KRW100 million to aid those affected by Korea’s heavy rains and flooding. Park also donated KRW100 million to Daegu Metropolitan City for Covid-19 relief efforts.

See also: 8 highest-paid K-drama stars of 2021: Song Hye-Kyo, Lee Jung-Jae and more

His childhood dream

The eldest of three boys, Park had originally dreamed of becoming a baseball player but he gave way to his younger brother who shared the same dream, as his father thought the brother would be more suited for the profession. As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. When Park performed on stage in junior high, he realised he wanted to pursue acting.

His debut

Park's entertainment debut was not in a K-drama but through an appearance in a music video for former B.A.P member Bang Yong-guk's single, I Remember. His first official acting job was as a supporting character in Perfect Game, a 2011 sports movie that revisits one of the most exciting matches in Korean baseball history. His breakout roles came in 2015 with the K-dramas Kill Me, Heal Me and She Was Pretty.

His milestones

The success of Kill Me, Heal Me and She Was Pretty earned him the Excellence Award (Actor in a Miniseries), Popularity Award (Actor), Top 10 Stars Award, and Best Couple Award at the 2015 MBC Drama Awards. He has also won a handful of Best New Actor awards: the Korean Drama Awards 2013, the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2017, and the Grand Bell Awards 2017. For his role as the narcissistic vice-chairman Lee Young-joon in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, he bagged the Top Excellence Award (Actor in a Miniseries) at the 2018 APAN Star Awards.

Don't miss: 7 best Park Seo-Joon shows to watch: Itaewon Class, Fight For My Way and more

His military service

Park is one of the rare few actors who didn't need to put his acting on hold in order to fulfil the mandatory South Korean military duties. He enlisted right after completing high school in 2008 when he was 19 years old. In 2010, he was discharged and could focus on building his acting career.

His BFF

Park is a proud fur parent to a fluffy, snow-white Bichon Frise named Simba and would often share posts of his little BFF on Instagram. The cute pupper has also been spotted accompanying Park for shoots, bringing a whole new meaning to 'man's best friend'.

His other best friends

He's part of the star-studded Wooga Squad which includes BTS’ Kim Tae-hyung (better known as V), fellow K-drama heartthrob and ZE:A singer Park Hyung-sik, Parasite star Choi Woo-shik, and Peakboy. For the uninitiated, "Wooga" is derived from Woori-ga gajok-inga?, which translates to “Are we family?". The ultra-loyal band of brothers would famously show up for one another and display their unwavering support, from attending film premieres to sending food trucks to spending festive holidays together and going on trips. Can anyone say #squadgoals?

Read more: Son Ye-jin, Park Seo-joon and more: K-drama stars going to Hollywood

His biggest gig yet

Park will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Prince Yan, the husband of Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson in Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels. This will make him the third South Korean actor to join the MCU after Don Lee a.k.a Ma Dong-seok in The Eternals and Claudia Kim in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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