Whether you are a seasoned K-drama fan or someone new to the magic of this world, the charm of the smug yet generous CEO from the 2018 hit What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Lee Dong-wook, will certainly disarm you. After over two decades of successful showbiz and his consequently growing net worth, Park Seo-joon continues to be one of the most sought-after actors in South Korea.
Park Seo-joon’s journey in the Korean entertainment industry is underlined by some of the most exciting and critically acclaimed titles. Some of these include Chronicles of Evil (2015), Fight for My Way (2017), Midnight Runners (2017), Parasite (2019), Itaewon Class (2020), Dream (2023), Concrete Utopia (2023), The Marvels (2023) and Gyeongseong Creature (2023).
Reflecting upon his journey so far, Park shared in a 2023 interview with the Philippines media outlet Philstar Life, “If you just do your best, it will all work out. However, even though everything will work out, I hope you will never lose your own self.”
All about Park Seo-joon’s net worth and what contributes to the Korean star’s massive fortune
Park Seo-joon net worth
According to the South China Morning Post, Park Seo-joon has an estimated net worth of around USD 21 million.
His opulent wealth comes massively from Korean movies and dramas, group projects with Wooga Squad, royalties, ads and multiple luxury brand endorsements.
Career and filmography
Masterfully covering diverse genres like action, romance and historical, Park Seo-joon has delivered some of the best movies and K-dramas in the last few years. The actor became the nation’s heartthrob with his role as Oh Ri-on in Kill Me, Heal Me, a series dealing with issues of child abuse.
Park started his acting journey with the music video for South Korean rapper Bang Yong-guk’s single “I Remember” in 2011. Following this, he landed several supporting roles in K-dramas like Dream High 2 (2012), Pots of Gold (2013) and One Warm Word (2013).
His first leading role was in A Witch’s Love (2014). However, it was only in 2015 that Park Seo-joon awed audiences and critics alike with She Was Pretty alongside Korean actor Hwang Jung-eum.
The same year, Park made his film debut in the thriller film The Chronicles of Evil, which is about a homicide detective and his struggle to get out of a web of lies. According to the Korean Film Council, the movie grossed around USD 13,295,194, with Park Seo-joon taking home the Popular Star Award at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Additionally, Park became one of the highest-paid Korean actors with She Was Pretty. The actor earned around USD 25,000 per episode for the romantic K-drama, according to Soompi.
Park continued to take the K-drama world by storm with hit TV Shows like Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016) and KBS2 (2017). The actor landed his first big-screen lead role in the action-packed Jason Kim directorial Midnight Runners and won the Best New Actor award at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards in 2017.
Park Seo-joon showcased his versatility in Fight for My Way as well, where he won hearts as taekwondo player Ko Dong-man. The 2017 family drama enjoyed a solid 13.8 per cent nationwide finale rating and even secured Park the Outstanding Korean Actor Award at the 13th Seoul International Drama Awards. Meanwhile, his portrayal of an arrogant CEO with a painful childhood in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim made him popular as the “master of romantic comedy” in 2018. The Dream actor earns around USD 851,000 for his drama appearances, states Soompi.
Park got his first blockbuster movie release in 2019 with the Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho directorial Parasite. The black comedy thriller made history by becoming the first foreign-language film to bag the Best Picture award at the 2020 Academy Awards. The film, which earned a record-breaking worldwide box-office total of USD 258.7 million, also won Oscars for Best Director, Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay.
Over the years, Park Seo-joon has given the Korean entertainment industry several celebratory hits. He starred in the 2020 JTBC original Itaewon Class, a drama about class difference, LGBTQIA+ rights and making it big in Seoul. Based on the webtoon of the same name by artist Gwang Jin, the final episode of the TV show recorded a 16.548 per cent nationwide rating, making it one of the highest-rated K-dramas in Korean television history. Itaewon Class was also included on the list of “The 13 Best Korean Dramas Of 2020” by Forbes.
Park also appears in hit reality shows like IN THE SOOP: Friendcation as a member of the well-known Korean celebrity group Wooga Squad, consisting of BTS singer V, rapper Peakboy and actors Choi Woo-shik and Park Hyung-sik. According to K-media outlet Kpopmap, IN THE SOOP: Friendcation ranked #1 in Japan and #2 in South Korea after its release in July 2022.
Of late, the Parasite actor is riding high on the success of his hit 2023 films Dream and Concrete Utopia. The former, directed by Lee Byeong-heon, is the first Korean film to land atop the box office within 50 days of its release since The Devil’s Deal in March 2023. According to Box Office Mojo, the sports comedy-drama collected around USD 8,317,251 at the global box office and is the fifth highest-grossing Korean film of 2023.
Meanwhile, the disaster-thriller Concrete Utopia has been selected as the South Korean entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards. Park also made his Hollywood debut with the MCU film The Marvels as Prince Yan of Aladna the same year.
Park Seo-joon essays the role of a pawn shop owner in his latest project — the Netflix historical fantasy drama Gyeongseong Creature.
Luxury brand endorsements
Besides Korean movies and dramas, Park Seo-joon also has luxury brand endorsement earnings of about USD 340,000 to USD 425,000 contributing to his net worth.
The actor has been the face of various luxury brands, including American fashion house Tommy Hilfiger, German luxury goods distributor Montblanc, South Korean beauty brand Laneige and French luxury fashion house Chanel.
In 2017, Park became the first Asian model for Tommy Hilfiger. The following year, Montblanc chose the K-drama heartthrob as the first ambassador of its Korean outpost.
Park became the new face of Calvin Klein Jeans in 2021. According to the American fashion house’s official statement, “Park Seo Joon has made his name known as a top star both domestically and internationally through a solid filmography of dramas and variety programs. In particular, Park Seo Joon’s good fashion sense is being acknowledged in the fashion world as well.”
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Park Seo-joon earned about USD 8.2 million in 2021 from commercial films alone, reports South China Morning Post.
In 2023, the South Korean actor was announced as the newest global ambassador of one of the Philippines’ growing health and wellness companies, IAM Worldwide.
With over 25.7 million followers as of December 2023, Park also dominates Instagram with his numerous project-related updates and sponsored posts. Furthermore, as the first Korean actor to hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube, Park Seo-joon reportedly earns a total of USD 60,000 annually from social media platforms.
Expensive things owned by Park Seo-joon: Real estate and dog breed
The Korean superstar is known for spending most of his wealth on prime real estate investments. According to Soompi, Park bought a USD 445,000 property located in Seoul’s elite area Geumho-dong in 2016. After the success of his K-drama, Itaewon Class, Park also purchased a USD 10 million property in Gangnam’s Sinsa-dong district — the most expensive neighbourhood in South Korea.
His love for Gangnam was further solidified by his latest luxury property purchase, which is a USD 4.4 million plush residence located in the Cheongdam-dong district. According to sources, the approximately 278.7-square-metre residence overlooks the Han River. Featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious living room, it also comes with a private golf course, courtyard pool and a home cinema.
The actor is also a proud pet parent and has an expensive Bichon Frisé named Simba. While his Instagram is mostly full of pictures with his furry canine, the celebrity pet is also spotted accompanying Park to various commercials.
Philanthropy
Park Seo-joon’s charitable works need no introduction. A generous philanthropist, the actor is mostly famous for supporting child adoption agencies and volunteering to join photoshoots to raise funds for the proper care of orphans.
According to his talent agency Awesome ENT, the K-drama star donated a total of USD 83,000 to the South Korean flood victims in August 2020 through Korea Disaster Relief. Additionally, he donated the same amount to the Hope Bridge Association to help the wildfire victims in Gangwon.
Park donated another USD 83,000 to the city of Daegu to help fund medical equipment during the pandemic.
Personal life
Born on 16 December 1988, Park Seo-joon dreamed of being in the entertainment industry since his childhood days in Seoul, South Korea. This eventually led him to pursue his studies in the Acting Department at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and finally join the acting industry in 2011.
The Itaewon Class star began his mandatory military service in South Korea in 2008. He was assigned to the Security Guard Battalion at Cheongju Correctional Facility. Park was discharged in 2010.
Park Seo-joon is rumoured to be dating popular Korean YouTuber xooos, aka, Hong Soo-yeon.
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy Park Seo-joon/Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Is Park Seo-joon in a relationship?
Park Seo-joon is rumoured to be in a relationship with Korean YouTuber Hong Soo-yeon, also popular as xooos.
– Which BTS member is friends with Park Seo-joon?
Park is close friends with BTS member V, aka Kim Taehyung.
– Where did Park Seo-joon go to college?
Park Seo-joon completed his graduation from An-Nam high school. He then attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts to pursue further studies in acting.
– Who is the richest Korean actor?
Some of the richest Korean actors are Lee Jong-suk, Park Hyung-sik, Lee Min-ho, Lee Young-joon, Choi Woo-shik, IU, Bae Suzy, Son Ye-ji, Hyun Bin, Kim Soo-hyun, Song Joong-ki, Ji Chang-wook and Park Seo-joon.
Sushmita is a writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative stories. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, Sushmita mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, you can find Sushmita dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
