This article is by Kim Ji-ye and read by an artificial voice.

Historical film "The King's Warden" is currently sweeping Korea's box office and has become the nation's first film in two years to surpass 10 million ticket admissions — a benchmark widely considered a major commercial milestone. Powering its popularity are the strong performances of its cast, and one in particular has caught many K-pop fans by surprise: Park Ji-hoon.
Formerly well-known as a K-pop idol, his performance in the hit film has drawn particular attention, reflecting a broader trend of K-pop stars increasingly establishing themselves as serious actors.
Park first captivated the hearts of voters on the K-pop audition show "Produce 101" (2016-17) season 2, finishing in second place and going on to become a member of Wanna One, the project group formed through the show. Prior to his idol debut, he had also briefly appeared as a child actor.
After the band's contract concluded in January 2019, however, Park gradually stepped away from the K-pop scene to pursue a career in acting.
He appeared in several TV series, such as JTBC's "Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency" (2019), KBS's "At a Distance, Spring Is Green" (2021). However, it was his role in the action drama "Weak Hero" (2022–25) that truly began to draw attention to his acting abilities.
And now, he is being widely applauded by his performance as King Danjong (r. 1452-1455), the tragic young royal who ascended to the throne at just 10 years old, only to be dethroned by his uncle, exiled and killed six years later during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Online comments praising Park quickly flooded in, with one Naver user writing, "The moment you see his eyes, you get why Park Ji-hoon was cast," which received more than 12,000 likes, while another commented, "It was my first time seeing the actor who played King Danjong, and I already feel like he'll become a great actor."

Such responses evidently suggest that Park has overcome the skepticism that often surrounds idols transitioning into acting. Even the film's director Chang Hang-jun noted in an interview that he cast Park without knowing about his background as a K-pop idol.
"Had I seen 'Produce 101,' I might not have been drawn to him because of his idol image," Chang said in an interview in January. "But I approached him simply as an actor, which allowed me to see him without any bias."
Such hesitation toward idol-turned-actors still exists. Yet Park is among the growing number of performers who are redefining themselves through a successful second career in acting, while others are still in the process of finding their footing.

Soaring successfully as an actor
One major hurdle that many idol-turned-actors must overcome is the widespread prejudice that they do not take acting seriously or lack the necessary skills. Despite this, they are often cast in leading roles in high-profile productions, and when their performances fall short of expectations, they become the target of severe criticism. Yet some performers have managed to break through that bias, proving to audiences that they can succeed both on stage and on screen, such as Doh Kyung-soo, Yim Si-wan and IU.
Before being widely recognized as an actor, Doh was known to fans as D.O., the main vocalist of the boy band EXO. He debuted in 2012 as part of the band under SM Entertainment, one of the largest K-pop agencies in Korea.
At the peak of its fame with the hit song "Growl" (2013), Doh started a new challenge as an actor in 2014, which started off on a good note. Though he was just beginning his acting career, Doh quickly gained recognition for his performances in the 2014 film "Cart" and the SBS drama "It's Okay, That's Love" (2014). Critics named him one of the most notable rookie actors of 2014, and he was also voted the most promising idol-turned-actor by a panel of 100 critics.
Since then, his K-pop background has not hindered his acting career but rather become an advantage, allowing...