Before her official acting debut in 2006, Park appeared in a short film titled Equal in 2005 when she was in middle school. The short film won Challenging Reality Award (현실도전상) at the 7th
Seoul International Youth Film Festival (SIYFF 2005).[1] She first appeared on television with a public advertisement for
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power when she was in high school.[2]
2006–2010: Debut, breakthrough and hiatus
Park made her official acting debut in the 2006 high school television series Secret Campus alongside fellow newcomer
Lee Min-ho.[3] Among the notable projects during the early stage in her career are the historical epic The King and I and
Peabody Award-winning teen drama Jungle Fish with
Kim Soo-hyun, based on a true story that depicts the pressures placed on students to achieve and gain admission to prestigious colleges and universities.[4][5]
However, in 2010 she became involved in a series of legal disputes with her then-management agency and a film production company, causing the actress to be tied up in lawsuits and unable to work for the next few years.[13][14][15]
2011–2014: Return to big screen and mainstream success
After she was designated the promotional ambassador (called "PiFan Lady") for the 2011
Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival,[16][17] Park finally ended her four-year absence from the limelight by headlining the 2012 horror thriller Don't Click.[18][19][20] Later that year, she starred alongside
Song Joong-ki in fantasy romance film A Werewolf Boy,[21][22][23][24] which surpassed 7 million admissions to become one of the most successful Korean melodramas of all time.[25][26] The song her character sings in the film, "My Prince", was released as a digital single and included in the movie soundtrack.[27]
In 2013, Park joined the cast of Law of the Jungle, a reality-documentary program featuring comedian
Kim Byung-man and several celebrities as they explore and survive the New Zealand wilderness.[28]
In a departure from her previous sweet, innocent characters, Park played the tough, potty-mouthed leader of her high school gang in Hot Young Bloods (2014), a
teenromantic comedy set in the 1980s.[29] Park, who was born in
North Chungcheong Province, said she had fun swearing in southern dialect, though she found it difficult to master, being a mixture of
Jeolla and
Chungcheong dialects.[30][31][32]
2015–2019: Television comeback and continued success
In 2015, she headlined the mystery thriller The Silenced, set in a girls' boarding school during the
Japanese occupation.[33][34][35] This was followed by
dual roles in romantic comedy Oh My Ghost, Park's first television series in seven years.[36][37][38] Her salary of ₩30 million (US$27,000) per episode made her the highest-paid actress to appear on cable channel
tvN.[39] The series was a commercial and critical hit, and garnered the Best Actress award for Park at the
4th APAN Star Awards. She was also dubbed as the "romantic comedy queen" by the Korean press.[40]
In June 2016, Park was cast as the title role in
JTBC's series Strong Girl Bong-soon, premiered in February 2017, where she played a character with superhuman strength.[43][44][45] The series became one of the
highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history.[46] Due to its popularity, it earned her Korea Reputation Center's highest brand value among Korean TV actors and the highest consumer participation rate in February and March 2017.[47][48]
Park then starred in tvN's series Abyss premiered in May 2019, where she played a beautiful prosecutor who transforms into a plain-looking girl after being revived by a mysterious orb.[52][53]
She parted ways with her ten-year agency Fides Spatium in December 2019. Two months later, she signed an exclusive contract with BH Entertainment.[54][55]
Park was born in
Jeungpyeong County,
North Chungcheong Province. She is the second of three daughters. Her father served as a soldier in the Special Forces for 34 years.[62][63] She graduated from Jeungpyeong Elementary School, Jeungpyeong Girls' Middle School, Daeseong Girls' Commercial High School and
Dankook University's Department of Performing Arts with a major in Theatre and Film.[64][65]
On April 26, 2021, she opened her first
SNS account in 15 years since her debut. Her first
Instagram post received 165,000 likes within 17 hours of its release.[66]
Health
Park's ankle ligaments were torn during a workout before shooting began for TV series Strong Girl Bong-soon. In April 2017, the hospital advised her to wear a cast but she had to use ankle tape and started out with physical therapy instead, due to the ongoing filming. Two months after wrapping up the series, she underwent a twenty-minute minor surgery. On September 6, her agency stated that the actress was in the final stages of rehabilitation and would start filming On Your Wedding Day later that month.[67][68]
In November 2019, Park announced temporary hiatus to recover from arm injury. She also received surgery to remove a scar on her arm.[69]
Park Bo-young has participated in several charitable causes; such as talent donations for
ChildFund Korea—Green Umbrella Children's Foundation's "Love, One More" campaign in 2014 and Sandol Green Umbrella Handwriting project in 2017.[75][76][77] She also sponsored two children through the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation from 2013.[78]
Park participated in the Share Pad Campaign by
LG Unicharm's sanitary pad brand Sofy Bodyfit and provided pads to girls from low-income single parents from 2016 until 2019.[79] In May 2017 and April 2019, she held autograph signing events to donate a total of 1.1 million pieces of sanitary pads to Korean Women's Welfare Association as part of the campaign.[80][81]
On April 15, 2017, Park held an autograph session in Seoul to support an orphanage in Cambodia. It was hosted by Think Nature, a cosmetic brand that she endorsed at that time. All proceeds from the event were donated to support children in Cambodia.[82]
In February 2020, she donated 50 million
won to help the fight against
COVID-19 during the mass outbreak. In August, she donated 20 million won to support the aid for flood victims through the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association.[83][84] She was also one of the celebrities who participated in 2020 WeAja Flea Market charity auction.[85]
In February 2021, she donated 30 million won to non-profit organization Good Neighbors in celebration of her birthday to provide young girls from low-income families with sanitary items.[83] In July, she donated 100,000
face masks to the North Gyeongsang Province Fire Department through the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association.[86]
In February 2022, international development cooperation
NGO G-Foundation announced that Park donated 50 million won on her birthday to fund kits with sanitary products for young girls from low-income households.[87] In March, she donated 50 million won to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help residents affected by the wildfires in
Uljin,
Gyeongbuk,
Samcheok,
Gangneung,
Donghae, and
Yeongwol.[88] Because of her donations, Park became a member of Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association's major donor club called "Hope Bridge Honors Club" in April 2022.[89]
In February 2023, Park donated 30 million won through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association to provide aid for the
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake.[90]
Ambassadorship
Year
Organization/event
Notes
Ref.
2009
Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Lottery Commission
^ Organized by the
Financial Services Commission, honors are given at a ceremony on
Finance Day [
ko] (formerly known as Savings Day until 2015), which is designated on the last Tuesday of October every year.
^Yoon, Go-eun (September 16, 2010).
박보영ㆍ김수현 주연 '정글피쉬' 특별개봉 [Special re-edit of Park Bo-young and Kim Soo-hyun's Jungle Fish]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean).
Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
^Elley, Derek (June 3, 2009).
"Scandal Makers". Variety.
Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
^"PARK Bo-young". Korean Film Biz Zone.
Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
^Kang, Byeong-jin (March 6, 2009).
"[박보영] 제 고민 좀 들어보실래요?". Cine21 (in Korean).
Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
^Park, Ah-reum (September 6, 2017).
"박보영 측 "지난 6월 발목 수술, 90% 이상 회복"". Newsen (in Korean). Newsen.
Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
^Park, Chan-su (June 10, 2014).
"박보영, 빈곤아동 돕기 재능기부". Naver (in Korean).
Newsis.
Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
^Yoo Byung-cheol (March 7, 2022).
"박보영, 강원과 경북 지역 산불 피해 복구와 이재민 지원 위해 5천만 원 기부...따뜻한 기부행렬 동참" [Park Bo-young, donated 50 million won to recover damage from forest fires in Gangwon and Gyeongsangbuk-do and support the victims... Join the warm donation procession]. Korea Economic TV (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Jeong Hee-yeon (April 4, 2022).
"박보영, 고액기부클럽 '아너스클럽' 가입 [공식]" [Park Bo-young joins the major donation club 'Honors Club' [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Dong-a. Retrieved April 4, 2022 – via
Naver.
^Yoo Jun-ha (February 9, 2023).
"튀르키예·시리아 지진 피해에... 한지민·혜리·이용진 등 기부 물결" [Earthquake damage in Turkey and Syria... A wave of donations such as Han Ji-min, Lee Hye-ri, and Lee Yong-jin] (in Korean). E Daily.
Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Eun-jeong (November 13, 2012).
"'늑대소년' 박보영 "나도 이제 대학생 기자"". Naver (in Korean). Segye.
Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
^"탤런트 박보영, 관세청 홍보대사로 위촉". Naver (in Korean). Money Today. September 21, 2015.
Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
^Kim, Yu-jin (November 6, 2023).
"제44회 청룡영화상 후보 발표...'밀수'·'콘크리트 유토피아' 11개 부문 최다 노미네이트" [44th Blue Dragon Film Awards Nominations Announced...'Smuggling'-'Concrete Utopia' Receive Most Nominations in 11 Categories]. X-ports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Hong, Se-Young (February 22, 2016).
"강동원·유재석·박보영·박나래, 핫★ 어벤져스". Naver (in Korean). Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2016.