[Interview] Park Jihoon, A Legend

The "The King's Warden" and "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier", Park Jihoon's legend is still unfolding.

Advertisement

Recently, Park Jihoon held an interview at a location in Jongno District, Seoul, for the TVING original series "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" (written by Choi Ryong, directed by Jo Nam-hyung).

"The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" is a military cooking fantasy drama that depicts the journey of Private First Class Kang Seong-jae (Park Jihoon), who swaps guns for kitchen knives and ammunition belts for an apron, as he becomes "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier". Kang Seong-jae is a recruit who devotes himself sincerely to every assigned task. After being assigned to the frontline unit at Ganglim outpost, he encounters strange and extraordinary experiences that will revolutionize the unit's meal service.

True to its "B-grade, absurd comedy" style, the drama's outrageous costumes and situational humor among characters have sparked heated reactions across online communities and social media. Among them, Park Jihoon said, "What I remember most is the scene where I was wrapped in kelp-like seaweed and touched fingers with senior actor Jung Woong-in". In that scene, the two parodied Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam".|

Park Jihoon said, "On the day of filming, I saw that seaweed outfit, and it was so open that one wrong move could have exposed everything. We quickly tied it tighter on set to reduce exposure. That's what I remember most. I also remember the grandma makeup, but the most shocking was the seaweed outfit".

He also successfully handled various comedic scenes that are difficult to attempt, such as dancing while holding pork ribs. Some viewers jokingly commented, "How much did Park Jihoon get paid to do this kind of acting?"

Laughing, Park Jihoon responded, "I definitely didn't get paid a lot. It's unrelated to salary. Honestly, I never imagined I would wear a seaweed costume like that".

When asked about playful comments like "Wasn't the script a scam?", he said, "I didn't think that way. On a basic level, I just thought this would allow me to show a lot of different things, so I took on the challenge".

The year 2026 was clearly 'Park Jihoon's year'. He played King Danjong in director Jang Hang-jun's film "The King's Warden", which drew around 16 million viewers, and immediately after that, his next work "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" ranked No. 1 for three consecutive weeks in paid subscriber contributions on TVING and also ranked No. 1 in daily subscription contribution for episode 7.

Park Jihoon emphasized that the success of "The King's Warden" did not affect his mindset during filming the drama. "I thought the film's success was separate. I just focused on expressing the energy and comedic direction I could deliver in this drama. I only ran forward for this project", he said.

Although director Jang Hang-jun personally called to congratulate him on the consecutive successes, Park Jihoon said he is trying not to get carried away. "I'm grateful when projects do well, but there's no big change in me. I just do what I'm given", he said calmly. "Of course I'm happy, but my mindset hasn't changed".

He added, "I don't like causing inconvenience to others. I think if I look too excited, it might not seem good to others. I don't like seeing myself get carried away. I try to constantly keep myself grounded".

Born in 1999, Park Jihoon is also preparing for military enlistment. "I want to go somewhere special. I want to volunteer and go somewhere that requires passing exams. I think there will be things to learn. I also want to try training like rappelling or jumping out of a helicopter during drills", he said.

Regarding timing, he answered, "The exact time isn't set yet, but I will have to go next year". He emphasized, "I think I should go sooner while I'm still in a less difficult phase. I shouldn't delay it too long". He also expressed strong interest in joining the Marine Corps or reconnaissance units.

He said he is not afraid of the 'military gap period'. "Nowadays, many actors film works in advance before enlisting. I want fans to feel like, 'Wait, he's already back?'" he explained.

Having debuted as a child actor, it has now been 20 years. Park Jihoon shared, "I want to spend the rest of the year communicating with fans". He added, "I had a long break. I want to meet overseas fans through concerts abroad", and said, "I'm preparing to go find another kind of happiness".

___________

"The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" is directed by Jo Nam-hyung, written by Choi Ryong, and features Park Jihoon, Lee Hong-nae, Yoon Kyung-ho, Han Dong-hee, Lee Sang-yi, Kang Ha-kyung. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2026/05/11~Now airing, Mon, Tue 20:50 on TVING.