K-drama’s Park Bo-gum before the fame: what did the dreamy Record of Youth and Reply 1988 actor look like before he became a star?
He recently signed up for Korean military service, leaving fans with the parting gift of hit Netflix drama Record of Youth, but what did the K-drama star look like as a cute, chubby schoolkid?
Unlike Hye-jun, though, Bo-gum didn’t always look like a model. And being an actor wasn’t his first choice. Wondering what Park was like before he was famous? Let’s unearth some of his childhood photos and pre-debut history.
A cute chubby school kid
Born June 16, 1993, Park hails from Mok-dong, an average neighbourhood in the Yangcheon-gu district of Seoul. He spent most of his childhood there and attended Seoul Mokdong Elementary School and Mokdong Middle School.
A few of Park’s childhood pictures were featured in a photo album shown in one of his music videos. You can get a glimpse of those precious memories in the Japanese track Dear My Friend.
Initially, Park wanted to be a singer-songwriter. He learned how to play the piano in kindergarten, was part of the choir at church and even directed musical productions.
In high school, Park recorded himself singing while playing piano and sent the video to talent agencies. It led to several offers, including one from the actor management company Sidus HQ, where he made his debut. There, his talent for acting was discovered and he shifted his career direction. But Park never lost sight of his initial passion for music, finally fulfilling the promise of his earlier singles with the release of his first full-length album, “Blue Bird”, in March 2020.
Early ‘out of character’ roles
It was the hit nostalgic series Reply 1988 (2015) that made Park Bo-gum a household name. He played Choi Taek, a genius Go board game player among his friends. Soon afterwards, Park was cast as the charming lead in Love in the Moonlight (2016) and Encounter (2018).
But let’s back up a bit. Before his stint in Reply, Park took on supporting roles that were far from his dreamy image of today. For example, his debut role was in the crime thriller Blind (2011), where he played a punky troublemaker.
He also played a carefree playboy and mama’s boy in the weekend drama Wonderful Mama (2013), and starred in the melodrama Wonderful Days (2014) as the teenage version of Lee Seo-jin’s character Dong-seok. That same year, he portrayed a cello prodigy in Naeil’s Cantabile.