1991–2009: Early life and training Park Hyung-sik was born on November 16, 1991, in
Giheung District,
Yongin, South Korea, His father is a member of the
board of directors at
BMW Korea, and his mother is a piano teacher. He was named Hyung-sik () by a
Buddhist monk, as his mother and grandmother are
Buddhists. Park said that he liked singing but struggled with dancing. and modeled for a school uniform brand. His first appearance as a member of Star Empire's boy group
ZE:A was in
Mnet's
reality television series
Star Empire, aired in April 2009. The series told the "
behind-the-scenes stories" of the entertainment industry, focusing on the lives of the company's staff, managers, and trainees. In October 2009, Park appeared in a second Mnet series,
Empire Kids Returns, documenting the group's
street performances across South Korea staged to prepare for their upcoming debut. That year, he made
cameo appearances in the television series
Prosecutor Princess,
Marry Me, Please, and
Gloria. In 2011, Park began his theatrical career as a cast member alongside
Super Junior's
Ryeowook in the musical
Temptation of Wolves. He began his acting career in 2012, starring in
SBS' special drama
I Remember You. The same year, he starred in SBS'
Dummy Mommy, where he played a vocalist of an indie band. The following year, Park had a role in
KBS2's drama special
Sirius (2013), where he played the adolescent version of twin brothers with starkly contrasting personalities. It was also in early 2013 when Park participated in his second musical theatre production,
Gwanghwamun Love Song, playing the role of Ji-Yong. In March 2013, Park, along with his fellow ZE:A members Siwan, Kevin, Minwoo and Dongjun formed the group's first sub-unit called
ZE:A Five. He then featured in tvN's time-slip drama
Nine as the younger version of
Lee Jin-wook's character. Park gained wider recognition after joining
Real Men in June 2013, where he was nicknamed "Baby Soldier" for his innocent, yet passionate image. In September 2013, Park was cast as Clyde in his third musical theatre production,
Bonnie & Clyde. He followed this with a role in hit teen drama
The Heirs (2013). In early 2014, Park was cast for the role of
D'Artagnan in his fourth musical production,
The Three Musketeers. And in August of the same year, Park joined the main cast of the family drama ''
What's With This Family'' (2014) as Cha Dal-bong, the youngest child who is struggling with finding a stable job.
2015–2020: Breakthrough and military enlistment In 2015, Park was part of the main cast in SBS's romance drama
High Society where he played the role of a
chaebol who falls for a part-timer at the gourmet supermarket he manages. Park drew favorable reviews for his performance in the series, which led to increased popularity for the actor in Japan. In the following year, Park was once again cast for the role of
D'Artagnan in the 2016 musical production of
The Three Musketeers. And in December 2016, he starred in the historical drama
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, playing the role of
Sammaekjong, a young and distrustful king. In February 2017, Park starred in his first leading role in cable network
JTBC's
Strong Girl Bong-soon, playing the CEO of a game company, Ainsoft. The romantic-comedy with
Park Bo-young was a critical and commercial success and became one of the
highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history. Park experienced a rise in popularity and received increased endorsement offers. In December 2017, he starred in a romantic short film,
Two Rays of Light alongside
Han Ji-min. In April 2018, Park starred in the
Korean remake of American
legal drama series
Suits, portraying the Korean counterpart of Mike Ross. Following this, in November 2018, Park returned to the musical scene, playing the role of Der Tod in the stage production of
Elisabeth. In May 2019, Park made his feature film debut in the legal film
Juror 8. This role won him the Best New Actor award at the 39th
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards in November 2019. The role also earned him nominations for Best New Actor (Film) at the 40th
Blue Dragon Film Awards and 56th
Baeksang Arts Awards. Park had earlier revealed that he was inspired to join the Capital Defense Command after he received positive feedback for his shooting skills while training for the variety show
Real Man. The actor said that he wanted to put his skills to good use, and was excited to join the unit and be of service to his country.
2021–present: Return to acting and resurgence Following his military discharge in January 2021, Park starred in the apocalyptic city thriller
Happiness as Jung Yi-hyun, an intelligent and honest violent crimes detective alongside
Han Hyo-joo.
Happiness recorded modest television ratings in South Korea at the time of airing, but became a
sleeper hit upon its global release on streaming services several months later. In particular, praise was given to his chemistry with co-star Han Hyo-joo, and the series reached number six on the Most Popular TV Shows ranking on
Netflix worldwide. The following year, Park starred in the four-episode
musical romance Soundtrack #1. Park accepted the role to work with director Kim Hee-won and co-star
Han So-hee. The actors' performances received mixed reviews;
NME said that Park and Han "bring the lead characters to life with charming effortlessness" and
Newsen stated that "it is thanks to Park Hyung-sik and Han So-hee that we want to keep watching the obvious unrequited romance", while the
South China Morning Post considered that "neither of the stars can sell the romance". Park also appeared in the
reality television series
In the Soop: Friendcation with his group of celebrity friends, the "Wooga Squad", consisting of
Park Seo-joon,
V,
Choi Woo-shik, and
Peakboy. Park first met Park Seo-joon and V on the set of
Hwarang; the former later introduced him to Choi Woo-shik and Peakboy. In February 2023, Park starred as Lee Hwan, a cursed crown prince, in the television series
Our Blooming Youth opposite
Jeon So-nee. In 2024, Park reunited with his former
The Heirs co-star
Park Shin-hye as the male lead in the rom-com medical drama,
Doctor Slump, which aired on
JTBC from January 27 to March 17. In 2025, Park starred in the revenge drama
Buried Hearts with
Huh Joon-ho,
Lee Hae-young, and
Hong Hwa-yeon. This aired on
SBS from February 21 to April 12, 2025. He received acclaim for his role as the protagonist Seo Dong-joo, leading the show with his deepened emotional acting and intense action scenes. The drama
Buried Hearts concluded with a peak viewership rating of 15.4% (Nielsen Korea national standard), ranking second among miniseries aired in 2025. Park also starred in the 2025
fantasy action superhero drama
Twelve with
Ma Dong-seok and an ensemble cast of
Seo In-guk,
Sung Dong-il,
Lee Joo-bin,
Ko Kyu-pil,
Kang Mi-na,
Sung Yoo-bin,
Ahn Ji-hye, and
Regina Lei. The drama revolves around the 12 angels and their struggles to protect the
Korean Peninsula from evil spirits. It aired on
KBS2 from August 23 to September 14, 2025. In the same year, September 2025, Park released his first Japanese mini-album,
Beginning. The album showcased 5 songs including the title song ‘恋しくて逢いたくて’ (Koishikute Aitakute). The songs are rock ballads and emotional ballads filled with Park's soft, delicate, yet powerful vocals. ==Other ventures==