There's no question that Park Sung Hoon is a talented actor. Best known for his villainous portrayals in The Glory and Queen of Tears, the 39-year-old K-drama star knocks it out of the park with whatever role he's bequeathed. His on-screen characters have been deemed so unforgettable that speculations soon surfaced of his allegedly wealthy background.
Park Sung Hoon Rumored to Have Come From a Wealthy Family
Park Sung Hoon's iconic roles have something in common: Both Jeon Jae-jun in The Glory and Yoon Eun-sung in Queen of Tears are men of power and money. Unlike his characters, the actor obviously isn't antagonistic in real life—but an affluent status was something linked to both. During the height of The Glory's popularity, reports from Korean media surfaced stating that Park Sung Hoon hails from a well-heeled family of doctors and lawyers.
In tvN's Free Doctor, an episode that aired in February 2023 covered privileged celebrities who were born with a silver spoon. One actor who was notably mentioned was Park Sung Hoon. "Not many people know this, but Park Sung Hoon is actually from a very wealthy family, just like his character in The Glory," a panelist revealed.
Another one chimed in, "His family members are all highly educated. So, his family is pretty well-off... Everyone in the family except for Park Sung Hoon either went to a medical or law school."
The panelists noted that since Park Sung Hoon was reportedly the only one in the brood who pursued a different path, they mentioned that relatives and family members would often joke and refer to him as a "mutant," implying how surprised they were to have someone in their lineage be blessed with such artistic genes.
Park Sung Hoon Denies Rumors of His Wealthy Family Background
However, the actor recently put an end to the speculation during his guest appearance on the variety show You Quiz on the Block. In a preview for the special episode, Sung Hoon stressed that the chaebol theory was really "nonsense." According to him, his family had lived on the opposite end of the spectrum.
"When I was in high school, my family became extremely poor, and when my friends would buy hamburgers, I would squat on the stairs alone and wait for them."
Sung Hoon further compared his family's previous situation to that of the Academy Award-winning film Parasite, where its main characters lived in a shabby basement home.
"I lived in the semi-basement room shown in the movie Parasite for about seven years," he described. "When I got my first vacation after enlisting, I called my mom and said, 'I'm going on vacation.' The situation was so bad."
Park Sung Hoon's Luxury Apartment in Geumho-dong, Seoul
These days, it seems that the situation has brightened for the star. Among Sung Hoon's reported possessions is a luxury apartment in Geumho-dong, Seongdong-gu, which he reportedly purchased late last year for KRW 1.9 billion (that's approximately $1.4 million or P79 million, FYI). The upscale neighborhood is also home to several well-known celebrities like Park Bo Young, Nam Goong Min, Yoo Seung Ho, Jung Kyung Ho, and Ryu Jun Yeol.
Fresh from the massive breakthrough of The Glory then, it's entirely possible that his luxurious residence was a product of hard work. Let's be real: He deserves all the success!
Read this list for Korean celebs who were born into rich families.
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