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Park Ji-hoon plays an Army chef on TV, but hopes to become a real-life Marine in 2027

Published: 04 Jun. 2026, 07:00

KIM JU-YEON
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Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae in comedy fantasy series ″The Legend of Kitchen Soldier″ [TVING]

Park Ji-hoon says he will enter the military in 2027, specifically the Marine Corps, "no matter what."

It's not exactly a bombshell statement, the singer-actor said, given his age. All able-bodied Korean men must serve, and the age limit for Navy enlistment is 28. Park recently turned 27. But given his recent stardom, his departure is bound to leave many people sad to see him go.

His popularity was immediately palpable on Tuesday, the day of the interview. Fans lined the streets of central Seoul’s Samcheong neighborhood to catch a glimpse of Park, a member of the recently reunited boy band Wanna One and is coming off back-to-back hit series and films.

“They’re my everything,” Park told reporters of his fans. “They’re the people who keep me going.”

What he feels for them is "a form of love, but a complicated one," he said, adding that "it isn’t simply love. There is something more raw and unconventional at its core, something that at times wells up and overwhelms me."

Actor-singer Park Ji-hoon [YY ENTERTAINMENT]

It was one of the few animated moments from him during the interview, a contrast to his otherwise matter-of-fact responses when asked about the success of his recent projects.

Park, who began his career as a child actor and proved his acting chops in series including “Weak Hero Class” (2022-25), shot to stardom as the exiled King Danjong (r. 1452-55) in “The King’s Warden.” Since its release in February, the film has become the second most-watched film of all time in Korea and earned him best new actor at the Baeksang Awards.

Tuesday’s interview took place during the ongoing run of fantasy comedy series “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” — aired on tvN and streaming on Tving — which has hovered around 7 percent in nationwide ratings, been the top driver of new weekly paid subscriptions on the streaming platform for three straight weeks and produced a string of viral clips with its wacky scenes.

Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae in comedy fantasy series ″The Legend of Kitchen Soldier″ [TVING]

Park seemed unfazed, saying he simply focuses on doing the work he's given. Still, he said he makes a conscious effort to stay reserved.

“I'm someone who really dislikes causing inconvenience to others,” Park said. “I worry that if I look too excited, it could come across badly, as if I were showing off."

"Maybe that’s why I don’t like seeing myself get carried away. I think it makes me more cautious, and even when I start to [enjoy the moment], I keep bringing myself back down."

Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae in comedy fantasy series ″The Legend of Kitchen Soldier″ [TVING]

On his enlistment plans, Park said “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” in which he plays army chef Kang Seong-jae, actually convinced him not to enlist as a military cook.

“Before filming, I took some cooking classes,” Park said. “I thought playing a military cook might make me more interested in cooking, since I’m really bad at it and had never paid much attention to it. But it actually made me realize I really shouldn’t cook.”

While filming the show, one of his fondest memories was a bitterly cold day in the mountains while shooting a combat training scene at the Korea Combat Training Center.

“It was so cold that without heat packs all over your body, it felt like you might get frostbite,” he said. “When they called cut, we would go into the tent, warm up by the heater and come back out. But even that was fun for me. I’d carry the rifle around, sneak off somewhere and aim it, like an elementary school kid [playing soldier]. I was completely immersed — running around, pretending to shoot and hiding behind trees.”

Park Ji-hoon as Kang Seong-jae in comedy fantasy series ″The Legend of Kitchen Soldier″ [TVING]

Another fun memory was a wire scene where he floated down like a piece of seaweed, recreating the iconic, nearly touching fingers of Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.”

"The outfit was cut extremely low. One wrong move and one side of my chest could have been exposed. We hurriedly tied it up on set, which made it a little less revealing," he said laughing.

He hasn’t given up on his dream of serving in the Marine Corps reconnaissance unit, where recruits must volunteer and pass a test — a selectiveness that is part of the appeal for him.

“I think there would be a lot to learn if I got in,” Park said. “I actually really like intense training and jumping from high places. Things like rappelling from a helicopter or going up in a plane for airborne training — I find them exciting.”

Actor-singer Park Ji-hoon [YY ENTERTAINMENT]

But even if he doesn't make the reconnaissance unit, he said, he will enlist in the Navy “no matter what."

“I don’t want to put it off anymore,” Park said. “I don't know which month, but next year is the last year I can enlist in the Marine Corps, so I have to go then.”

Park said he is focusing for now on his activities as a K-pop star, including overseas fan meetings and concerts. Wanna One reunited in April after disbanding in early 2019, and Park also released "Re:flect" that month, his first solo single in three years.

“It has been such a long hiatus that I feel I need to spend time meeting fans up close. [Performing] makes me happy, too.”