Park Hae-soo

Park Hae-soo (; born November 21, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known worldwide for portraying Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix series Squid Game, which earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Park began his career in theater and has played a large number of leading and supporting roles in plays and musicals. He subsequently expanded his career into film and television and achieved his breakthrough with Prison Playbook (2017–2018), one of the highest-rated Korean dramas on cable television. He is also known for his frequent collaborations with Netflix, including Narco-Saints (2022), Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (2022), Karma (2025), The Price of Confession (2025), and The Great Flood (2025).

Early life Park was born in Suwon, South Korea, on November 21, 1981. He got his first taste of acting when he joined the theater club at Bundang Jungang High School. In 2000, he enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film at Dankook University, aspiring to become a theater actor. His father strongly disapproved of his chosen profession. While studying, Park also worked part-time jobs at sushi and barbecue restaurants and at concert venues.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Park enlisted for mandatory military service. He served in the 50th Infantry Division and worked as a teaching assistant in a recruit training center.

Career 2007–2020: Beginnings and breakthrough Park started out primarily as a stage actor and has been active in both plays and musicals since his debut in 2007. In 2012, director Kim Jin-min saw a poster of Park for the musical Samcheon – Flower of Ruin and offered him a role in the television series God of War, which became Park's on-screen debut. Over the next few years, he continued to play minor and supporting roles in film and television. In March 2016, after gaining attention with his supporting role in the historical drama Six Flying Dragons, Park signed with BH Entertainment.

In 2017, Park made a breakthrough in his career when he landed the lead role in the drama series Prison Playbook after director Shin Won-ho saw his performance in the play Male Impulse. The series was a hit and brought Park widespread recognition.

In April 2019, Park appeared opposite IU in the anthology series Persona. In November 2019, he won the Blue Dragon Film Award for Best New Actor for his performance in the film By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture. At the time, he was the oldest recipient of the award at the age of 38.

In February 2020, Park appeared in the dystopian thriller Time to Hunt, which premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean film to be selected for the Berlinale Special Gala. Director Yoon Sung-hyun cast him in the film after watching the play Male Impulse in 2017. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released worldwide on Netflix in April 2020.

In November 2020, Park appeared in prima ballerina Kim Joo-won's stage production Sagunja – Seasons of Change, which combined acting and dancing. Back in 2014, Kim saw Park practicing for the Korean production of Nick Dear's Frankenstein and had expressed a wish to work with him in the future. In preparation for Sagunja, he took ballet and modern dance classes for three months. Prior to that, he studied dance as part of his acting training.

2021-present: Squid Game and continued success In 2021, Park gained international fame after playing Cho Sang-woo in the first season of the Netflix series Squid Game. Following the success of the show, Park opened an account on Instagram, gaining over 800,000 followers in a single day. For his performance, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

In 2022, Park appeared in three Netflix productions: Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, and Narco-Saints. All three spent four to five weeks in the Global Top 10. In July 2022, Park signed with the U.S. talent agency UTA. Later that year, he successfully hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live Korea, ranking first on the list of most buzzworthy performers on OTT shows.

In 2023, Park returned to theater with the play Faust. The production was a critical and commercial success, with Park receiving rave reviews for his performance. In 2024, Park starred in Simon Stone's stage production of The Cherry Orchard alongside actress Jeon Do-yeon. The play received positive reviews.

In 2025, Park appeared in a total of seven projects, including the series Karma and The Price of Confession, the film The Great Flood, and a small role in the American series Butterfly. Despite receiving polarizing reviews, The Great Flood became the first South Korean film to enter Netflix's ranking of the top ten non-English films of all time, achieving fifth place.

In 2026, Park starred in the series The Scarecrow, which is based on a real-life serial murder case spanning over 30 years, from 1988 to 2019. He also recorded a cover of Kim Kwang-seok's song "The Forgotten" for the soundtrack. The series became the second highest-rated in ENA's history, and Park won the Blue Dragon Series Award for Best Actor.

Other ventures Park enjoys drawing as a hobby and formed the "Drawing Boys Club" with actor Lee Hee-jun and artist KUN. Their first collaborative work was presented at the Kiaf SEOUL art fair in 2022.

Philanthropy In 2020, Park participated in the "100 Actors Reading World Literature" audiobook project, organized by the Korea Theater Artists Welfare Foundation, EBS, and Communication Books. All of the participants' royalties were donated to the foundation, which provides theater professionals with emergency livelihood assistance, medical expense coverage, free health checkups, and educational scholarships for their children.

In March 2025, Park donated to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association to support firefighters during the wildfires in Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions.

Personal life Over a ten-year period, Park was roommates first with actors Im Chul-soo and Lee Gi-seob, and then with Im and Park Jae-yoon.

Park was in a relationship with musical actress Lim Kang-hee from 2013 to 2016.

On January 14, 2019, Park married in a private ceremony held in Seoul. His wife gave birth to their first son on September 17, 2021. On August 23, 2026, the couple welcomed their second son.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2014 The Pirates Hwang Joong-geun Bit part 2015 Minority Opinion Goo Hwan's assistant 2016 Master President Jin's bodyguard 2019 By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture Lee Chan-woo 2020 Time to Hunt Han 2022 Yaksha: Ruthless Operations Kang Ji-hoon 2023 Phantom Takahara Kaito 2025 Lobby Bae-min Good News Ryeo Dol-chan Cameo The Great Flood Son Hee-jo Tristes Tropiques Jang K.O. Club

Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 God of War Kim Yun-hu 2013 Me and Mom and Dad and Grandma and Anna Father One-act play 2015–2016 Six Flying Dragons Yi Ji-ran 2016–2017 The Legend of the Blue Sea Hong Dong-pyo 2017 The Liar and His Lover Bass player Cameo (episode 1) 2017–2018 Prison Playbook Kim Je-hyuk Also as Masked Singer (episode 4) 2018 Memories of the Alhambra Agent A Cameo (episode 1–2, 4, 8) 2019 Persona Baek Jeong-u Segment: "Collector" 2021 Racket Boys Lee Jae-joon Cameo (episode 6) Chimera Cha Jae-hwan 2021–2024 Squid Game Cho Sang-woo Main role (season 1) Cameo (season 2, episode 1) 2022 Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Berlin Narco-Saints Choi Chang-ho 2025 Karma Kim Beom-jun / The Witness Butterfly Yong Shik Choi Cameo (episode 1, 3) The Price of Confession Baek Dong-hun 2026 The Scarecrow Kang Tae-joo Paper Man Oh Seung-eop

Variety shows Year Title Role Notes 2021 The Game Caterers Cast member Season 1 – Episode 10–12 2022 Saturday Night Live Korea Host Season 3 – Episode 6

Music video appearances Year Song title Artist 2022 "Last Scene" Chen

Hosting Year Title Notes 2017 38th Seoul Theater Festival Closing ceremony; with Seo Yi-sook

Stage Musical +Musical performances Year Title Role Theater Date English Korean 2008 Adolescence 사춘기 Young-min Jeongmiso Theater August 15 to October 12 2009 Hero 영웅 Choi Jae-hyung LG Art Center October 26 to December 31 2010–2011 Foreign Minister Haeoreum Grand Theater December 4 to January 15 2011 The Chorus – Oedipus 더 코러스 – 오이디푸스 Oedipus LG Art Center April 26 to May 1 Hero 영웅 Foreign Minister Ansan Culture and Arts Center October 26 to December 31 2012 The Goddess is Watching 여신님이 보고 계셔 Lee Chang-seop Chungmu Art Hall August 8 2012–2013 Samcheon – Flower of Ruin 삼천-망국의 꽃 Ceremony general Daehangno TOM Theater October 26 to January 20 2013 The Goddess is Watching 여신님이 보고 계셔 Lee Chang-seop Daehangno Art One Theater May 3 to August 25 The Chorus – Oedipus 더 코러스 – 오이디푸스 Oedipus LG Art Center October 9–20 2014 Victoria Theatre August 22–23 2015 Asteroid B612 소행성 B612 Dad CJ azit August 24–25

Theater +List of stage play(s) YearTitleRoleTheaterDate English Korean 2007–2008 Mr. Lobby 미스터 로비 Hummings Art Hall August 10 to June 8 2007 Annapurna 안나푸르나 Gwang-nam Gangnam Theatre October 9–28 2009 The 39 Steps 39 계단 Richard Hannay Dongsung Art Centre February 21 to March 29 Sejong Center for the Performing Arts July 30 to August 30 2010 A Streetcar Named Desire 욕망이라는 이름의 전차 Steve Dongsoong Art Center March 19 to May 23 Hwaseong Art Hall July 10–11 Fool for Love 풀 포 러브 Martin SM Art Hall July 6 to September 12 Donggu Arts & Sports Center October 23–24 2011 Full Bloom 됴화만발 Kei Namsan Arts Center September 6–25 The Seagull 갈매기 Treplev Sogang University Mary Hall November 25 to December 11 2014 Macbeth 맥베스 Macbeth Myeongdong Theater March 8–23 One Day 원데이 CJ azit June 23–24 Frankenstein 프랑켄슈타인 The Creature CJ Towol Theater October 10 to November 9 Ansan Culture and Arts Center November 15–16 2014–2015 The Man from Earth 맨 프럼 어스 John Oldman Daehangno Uniplex November 7 to February 22 2015 Judo Boy 유도소년 Park Kyung-chan Daehangno Art One Theater February 7 to May 3 Ansan Culture and Arts Center May 21–24 Seongnam Arts Center May 29–31 Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center August 21–23 Osan Culture and Arts Center October 2–3 Bongsan Cultural Center October 9–10 Uijeongbu Arts Center October 23–24 Gunpo Culture and Arts Center November 20–21 2017 Male Impulse 남자충동 Jang-jeong Daehangno TOM Theater February 16 to March 26 2018 NASSIM 낫심 Doosan Art Center April 10–29 2020 Sagunja – Seasons of Change 사군자_생의 계절 Jeongdong Theater October 22 to November 8 2023 Faust 파우스트 Mephistopheles LG Arts Center SEOUL March 31 to April 29 2024–2026 The Cherry Orchard Lopakhin June 4 to July 7, 2024 Busan Cultural Center March 13–15, 2025 Hong Kong Cultural Centre September 19–21, 2025 Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay November 7–9, 2025 Adelaide Festival Centre February 27 to March 1, 2026

Narration Year Title Role Notes 2022 Architectural Audio Tour Audio docent LG Arts Center SEOUL 2023 Whales and I Narrator SBS documentary; with Han Ji-min Future Ending Presenter / Narrator TVING documentary 2026 Companion Narrator KBS1 documentary

Audio books Year Title Publisher ISBN 2020 "To Build a Fire" Communication Books

Discography Soundtrack appearances Title Year Album "The Forgotten" 2026 The Scarecrow OST 2022 Excellence Award, Actor in an OTT Drama Squid Game 2023 Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Narco-Saints Asia Star Awards 2022 Asia Wide Award Park Hae-soo Baeksang Arts Awards 2018 Best New Actor – Television Prison Playbook 2020 Best New Actor – Film Time to Hunt Blue Dragon Film Awards 2019 Best New Actor By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture Blue Dragon Series Awards 2022 Best Supporting Actor Squid Game 2025 Best Actor Karma 2026 The Scarecrow Chunsa Film Art Awards 2020 Director's Cut Awards 2019 2023 Best Actor in Television Narco-Saints 2026 Karma Dong-A Theater Awards 2012 Yoo In-chon Best New Actor The Chorus – Oedipus & Full Bloom Global OTT Awards 2022 Best Supporting Actor Squid Game Grand Bell Awards 2020 Best New Actor By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards 2022 Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama Squid Game Korea Theater Awards 2011 Best New Actor The Chorus – Oedipus & Full Bloom Primetime Emmy Awards 2022 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Squid Game The Seoul Awards 2018 Best New Actor (Drama) Prison Playbook

State honors + Name of organization, year given, and name of honor Organization Year Honor Newsis K-Expo Cultural Awards 2022 Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award

Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement Korean Film Council 2021 Korean Actors 200