Park Ji-hyun (actress)

Park Ji-hyun's early interest in acting began in middle and high school, where she took some acting classes. However, her parents advised her to attend college first before seriously pursuing her passion. She enrolled in the Spanish Language Department Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. After she was accepted, she began attending an acting academy to formally train as an actor.^[2]

Park joined the agency Namoo Actors in 2016. She made her debut as an actress in 2017.^[2]

Park landed her first leading role in the 2018 South Korean horror film Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, directed by Jung Bum-shik. The film, which is based on a real-life psychiatric hospital, follows a web series crew that travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. Starring alongside Wi Ha-joon, Park Sung-hoon, and others, Park's performance was nominated for Rookie of the Year at the 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards and Chunsa Film Art Awards.^[3][4] The film opened theatrically in South Korea on March 28, 2018.^[5][6] A commercial success, the film became the third most-watched horror film in South Korea after A Tale of Two Sisters and Phone.^[7] Later, it was screened at the 20th Udine Far East Film Festival.^[8]

She has taken on several memorable roles in both films and television dramas, since her debut, including those in Your Honor (2018) and The Divine Fury (2019).^[9][10]

In 2020, Park took on the supporting role of Lee Jun-kyung in SBS drama Do You Like Brahms?, a role that earned her a nomination for Best New Actress at the 2020 SBS Drama Awards.^[11] She followed this with an appearance in the 2021 TVING series Yumi's Cells. In the show, Park played Seo Sae-yi, a programmer who serves as a love rival to protagonist Yumi (played by Kim Go-eun) due to her unrequited feelings for their boss, Goo Woong (played by Ahn Bo-hyun).^[12]

Park gained widespread recognition for her portrayal of Mo Hyun-min, the ambitious and intellectually sharp daughter-in-law of the Sunyang Group chaebol family, in the 2022 JTBC fantasy drama series Reborn Rich.^[13] The role, opposite lead actors Song Joong-ki and Lee Sung-min, showcased her ability to embody a character driven by unhidden ambition and desire, which she described in interviews as a new experience in expressing such traits without restraint.^[14] Park's performance in the high-rating series, which became one of the highest-viewed Korean cable dramas, marked a significant breakthrough in her career, elevating her profile after years of supporting roles and leading to increased opportunities.^[15]

Park landed her first lead role in the 2024 SBS series Flex X Cop,^[16] playing Lee Gang-hyun, a seasoned detective who is also the first female team leader in the violent crime department.^[17] It marked her second collaboration with Ahn Bo-hyun. The series was well-received by audiences and peaked at 11.0% viewership rating. Park was awarded Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Genre/Action Drama at 2024 SBS Drama Awards.^[18] Park revealed that the physically challenging role made her realize the importance of stamina for an actress, and she began to seriously train in both exercise and ballet.^[15][19]

Park starred in the erotic mystery thriller film Hidden Face, which was released on November 20, 2024,^[20] despite having been filmed two years earlier in 2022. The film is a remake of the 2011 Spanish-Colombian film, The Hidden Face. Park was drawn to the project after having enjoyed the original and appreciating director Kim Dae-woo previous work. She took on the role of Kim Mi-joo, starring alongside Song Seung-heon and Cho Yeo-jeong.^[21] The film became a box office success, notably becoming the first R-rated film to surpasses 1 million viewers during local theatrical release since 2019.^[22] Park was nominated as Best New Actress in 61st Baeksang Arts Awards.^[18]

In 2025, Park reunited with Kim Go-eun in Netflix original series You and Everything Else.^[19]