Park Hyung-sik has successfully transformed his acting.

He debuted as a member of an idol group and was loved for his cute and gentle image, but he is now drawing attention with his strong appearance through his new leading role.

Park Hyung-sik is undergoing a transformation with each episode of the SBS weekend drama ‘Treasure Island’. The drama depicts the story of Seo Dong-joo, who hacked 2 trillion won in political slush funds, and fights for revenge by risking everything to bring down absolute evil.

He plays the role of Seo Dong-joo, a charismatic and ambitious executive at a large corporation, and has completely erased the image he had built up until then. The bright and playful image he usually shows in romantic comedies is nowhere to be found, and he shows charisma and ambition in a completely opposite way that makes you wonder ‘Is this really Park Hyung-sik?’.

Having drawn attention from the first episode with a racy bed scene, he is threatened with death under the orders of the ‘absolute evil’ Yeom Jang-seon (Heo Jun-ho), endures amnesia and intense water torture, and miraculously returns alive to begin his revenge.

Throughout the process, Park Hyung-sik shows off his highly immersive acting skills, making it impossible to look away for even a moment. Thanks to this, the drama started with a viewership rating of 6.1% (Nielsen Korea), then jumped from 8.1% to 10.2%, and recently reached its highest rating of 11.2% in the 6th episode.

This is the highest rating among competing works in the same time slot, and Park Hyung-sik‘s acting transformation is receiving favorable reviews after the broadcast.

On the drama open talk and various internet bulletin boards, fans are praising him with comments such as, “Park Hyung-sik’s upgraded acting skills have breathed life into the drama,” “The addition of a life character,” and “Park Hyung-sik‘s rediscovery.”

Park Hyung-sik is expected to show an even more intense appearance as the drama progresses. He will show off his most intense action scenes since his debut as he regains his memory and decides to take revenge on Heo Jun-ho.

PD Jin Chang-gyu, who was in charge of directing, said, “I’ve kept an eye on Park Hyung-sik since he was a singer, but you can forget the image you knew until now,” and “His masculine charm will be revealed more and more.”

He will continue his momentum by showing off action scenes in the KBS 2TV drama ‘Twelve’, which is scheduled to air in August. The drama, in which he stars alongside Ma Dong-seok, is a fantasy action film based on the 12 zodiac signs of the East. In the drama, Park Hyung-sik takes on the role of the evil force Oh Gwi who awakens from the seal and attempts another acting transformation.


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.