Park Seong-hoon, turns into a police officer in succession

Actor Park Seong-hoon is rowing vigorously. Before his image as Jeon Jae-jun, a school violence perpetrator in Netflix's 'The Glory', was solidified, he began to transform his acting by taking on the role of a police officer in succession.

Park Sung-hoon in ‘The Glory’ was powerful. He gave a passionate performance as Jeon Jae-jun, a perpetrator of severe school violence but also kind to his own daughter, Ye-sol. The crazy eyes and mean expression were thrilling.

Even after ‘The Glory’ ended, Park Sung-hoon was called Jeon Jae-jun. This is a character that immediately raised Park Seong-hoon’s popularity. If you play a villain well, you will leave a strong impression on the public and receive great love. However, if you cannot go beyond that image, it can become a label.

The work that Park Seong-hoon chose after ‘The Glory’ is ENA’s ‘Namnam’. 'Nam Nam' depicts the special relationship between a childish mother, Kim Eun-mi (played by Jeon Hye-jin), and her cool daughter, Kim Jin-hee (played by Choi Soo-young). In the play, Park Seong-hoon played Eun Jae-won, Choi Soo-young's college senior and the head of the police station.

He was the complete opposite of The Glory Jeon Jae-jun. Although he was tough, he was also brave and protected his colleagues from behind. Also, the sweet love line with Choi Soo-young also attracted attention. The crooked Jeon Jae-jun was erased and viewers came back with the lovely and charming Jae-won.

The ‘Namnam’ work itself was also very popular. The first episode started with a viewership rating of around 1% and the final episode ended at around 5%. It is the highest-selling work on the ENA channel since 'Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo' and ranked first among Monday-Tuesday dramas. Jaejun Park has had a string of box office hits in his filmography.

Park Seong-hoon's next choice is also a police officer. As if to completely erase the image of a school violence character, Park Seong-hoon played the role of homicide detective Park Sang-yoon in ENA's 'Kidnapping Day', which will be released at 9 pm on the 13th. When a question related to this came up at the production presentation, Park Seong-hoon joked, "I think it reflects my nervousness that I might be solidified into that kind of image (perpetrator of school violence)."

However, he pointed out the difference between the police officer he played in 'Namnam' and the detective he played in 'Kidnapping Day'. Park Seong-hoon said, "I lost 10 kg compared to 'Namnam'. In Namnam's case, the character had a somewhat foolish side. This role is a sharp and solid character. I went on a diet to change externally."

‘The Glory’ and ENA’s ‘Namnam’ were box office hits one after another. Will Park Seong-hoon be able to smile through ‘Kidnapping Day’? He expressed his determination, saying, "We talked about viewership ratings, and Shinnok said he hoped the show would get 7%. I will follow that wish and aim for 7%."

Of course, the public is still more familiar with ‘The Glory Jeon Jae-jun’ Park Sung-hoon. It is true that Namnam was a hit, but it is true that it is inferior to the popularity of ‘The Glory’. The Glory remained in my mind even more because each character had a strong personality. Attention is being paid to whether Park Sung-hoon, who has played the role of a police officer in succession, will be able to break the 'life character' again.

Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr