A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 145
1981 —   ACTOR

PARKHAE-SOO

Nov 21, 1981South Korea

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

The year he turned 26, he debuted in the play Annapurna. Around 2009, he played Choi Jae-hyung in the musical Hero.

Around 2010, he appeared as Steve in the play A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2011, he won best new actor at the Korea Theater Awards for the play Full Bloom. In 2012, he appeared on TV for the first time, as Kim Yun-hu in MBC’s God of War.

In 2013, he joined the encore run of the musical The Goddess Is Watching as Lee Chang-seop. In 2014, he appeared in the film The Pirates as Hwang Joong-geun. In 2015, he played Lee Ji-ran in SBS’s Six Flying Dragons. In 2016, he appeared in SBS’s The Legend of the Blue Sea and in the film Master.

The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 36, he took his first lead role, as the baseball player Kim Je-hyuk in tvN’s Prison Playbook, ten years after his debut. He says he became known through this work after 10 unknown years.

In 2018, Prison Playbook ended with a series-high average rating of 11.2%. In 2019, he married, and he won best new actor at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards for By Quantum Physics. The day of the ceremony was his birthday.

In 2020, the film Time to Hunt was released on Netflix. In 2021, he played Cho Sang-woo in Netflix’s Squid Game, and his first son was born the same month. In 2022, Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area and Narco-Saints were released one after another, and he was nominated for best supporting actor at the 74th Emmy Awards.

In 2023, the film Phantom was released and he played Mephisto in the play Faust. In 2024, he appeared on stage with Jeon Do-yeon in the play The Cherry Orchard.

In 2025, Karma, The Price of Confession and The Great Flood were released. In 2026, he won best actor at the Blue Dragon Series Awards for ENA’s The Scarecrow, and The Cherry Orchard opened in New York.

Park Hae-soo (born Nov 21, 1981) debuted in the play Annapurna in 2007, the year he turned 26, and became known on Nov 22, 2017, the year he turned 36, when his first lead role, in tvN’s Prison Playbook, began airing. In 2021, the year he turned 40, he became known abroad as Cho Sang-woo in Netflix’s Squid Game.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 33 records2007 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 26 · 2007
    Debut

    Debuts in the play Annapurna

    Several outlets give this as his debut work. In 2017, TV Daily wrote that he had been active in plays and musicals for more than 10 years, starting with Mr. Lobby in 2007.

    Source 01 · MHN Sports (Korean) · Park Hae-soo welcomes a second son · opens in a new tabSource 02 · TV Daily (Korean) · Who is Park Hae-soo, chosen by director Shin Won-ho? · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Park Hae-soo · opens in a new tab The performance dates were not confirmed. Wikipedia lists both Mr. Lobby and Annapurna as works from the same year.
  2. 28 · 2009
  3. 29 · 2010
  4. 30 · 2011
  5. 31 · 2012
  6. 32 · 2013
  7. 33 · 2014
  8. 34 · 2015
  9. 35 · 2016
  10. 35 · 2016
  11. 36 · 2017
  12. 37 · 2018
  13. 38 · 2019
  14. 38 · 2019
  15. 38 · 2019
  16. 39 · 2020
  17. 40 · 2021
  18. 40 · 2021
  19. 41 · 2022
  20. 41 · 2022
  21. 41 · 2022
  22. 41 · 2022
  23. 42 · 2023
  24. 42 · 2023
  25. 43 · 2024
  26. 44 · 2025
  27. 44 · 2025
  28. 44 · 2025
  29. 45 · 2026
  30. 45 · 2026
  31. 45 · 2026
  32. 45 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2007–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Park Hae-soo when he debuted?
In 2007, the year he turned 26, he debuted in the play Annapurna. The performance dates were not confirmed.
How old was Park Hae-soo when he became famous?
On Nov 22, 2017, the year he turned 36, when tvN’s Prison Playbook began airing. It was his first lead role, ten years after his debut, and he says he became known through it after 10 unknown years.
How old was Park Hae-soo when he appeared in Squid Game?
In 2021, the year he turned 40. Season 1, released on Sep 17, 2021, cast him as Cho Sang-woo, a fund manager from Seoul National University. The next year he was nominated for best supporting actor at the 74th Emmy Awards.
How old was Park Hae-soo when he won a Blue Dragon new actor award?
In 2019, the year he turned 38, he won best new actor at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards for By Quantum Physics on Nov 21, 2019. The day was his birthday, and in 2026 Sports Chosun described him as the oldest winner of that award.
How old is Park Hae-soo?
Born in 1981, he turns 45 in 2026 (44 as of Sep 22, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION145Park Hae-soo / PARK HAE-SOO

Film & TV · South Korea
Nov 21, 1981 —

Sources and method44 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1981: the year of the event minus 1981, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. MHN Sports (Korean) · Park Hae-soo welcomes a second son ↗Aug. 24, 2026. Debuted in the 2007 play Annapurna; married a non-celebrity six years his junior in 2019; first son in 2021, two years after the marriage; says he mentioned his second child in his acceptance speech at the Blue Dragon Series Awards
  2. TV Daily (Korean) · Who is Park Hae-soo, chosen by director Shin Won-ho? ↗July 11, 2017. tvN announced Jung Kyung-ho and Park Hae-soo as the leads of Prison Playbook; active in plays and musicals for more than 10 years starting with Mr. Lobby in 2007; won the Korea Theater Awards best new actor in 2011 and the Dong-A Theater Awards Yoo In-chon new actor award in 2012; moved into TV with MBC’s God of War in 2012; the work that made his face known was Six Flying Dragons; took on the screen in 2014 with a bit part as Hwang Joong-geun in The Pirates
  3. Wikipedia (Korean) · Park Hae-soo ↗Basis for the years of stage productions in the 2000s and early 2010s that could not be confirmed in news reports. Born Nov. 21, 1981 in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province; active from 2007; agency BH Entertainment
  4. Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · 2011 Korea Theater Awards ↗Dec. 26, 2011. The best new actor award went to Park Hae-soo of Full Bloom; the grand prize to The Tempest
  5. News1 (Korean) · Park Hae-soo, an actor who won the Yoo In-chon new actor award ↗March 21, 2023. Says Park Hae-soo won the Dong-A Theater Awards Yoo In-chon new actor award in 2011
  6. Star News (Korean) · Who is the handsome monk Geumgang in God of War? ↗Feb. 24, 2012. The monk Geumgang, Kim Yun-hu, played by Park Hae-soo, was a real general who had been a monk and killed the Mongol commander Sartaq
  7. Xportsnews (Korean) · The Goddess Is Watching encore run ↗April 11, 2013. Encore preview run from May 3 to 19; Park Hae-soo joined as the North Korean soldier Lee Chang-seop, the same role he played at the 2012 Yegreen encore showcase
  8. Newsen (Korean) · Review of The Goddess Is Watching ↗May 18, 2013. The role of Lee Chang-seop was played by Park Hae-soo and Lim Chul-soo
  9. Financial News (Korean) · The Pirates, opening day ↗Aug. 7, 2014. The Pirates opened on the 6th, with 272,858 viewers on the first day
  10. Asia Economy (Korean) · Lee Jong-gil’s film reading ↗Jan. 27, 2022. Hwang Joong-geun in the earlier film The Pirates (2014) was played by Park Hae-soo
  11. TV Daily (Korean) · Lee Ji-ran in Six Flying Dragons ↗Dec. 29, 2015. Lee Ji-ran, Yi Seong-gye’s right-hand man, was played by Park Hae-soo
  12. Korea Economic TV (Korean) · Hong Dong-pyo in The Legend of the Blue Sea ↗Dec. 8, 2016. In the Dec. 7 episode, Hong Dong-pyo is a detective chasing Heo Joon-jae and the fraud trio
  13. Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Master release date confirmed ↗Dec. 1, 2016. Master confirmed for release on Dec. 21
  14. Newsen (Korean) · Master’s scene stealers ↗Jan. 9, 2017. Park Hae-soo as “Bucket Hat,” Chairman Jin’s right-hand man, who shaved his eyebrows to add to the character’s individuality
  15. Star Today (Korean) · First episode of Prison Playbook ↗Nov. 23, 2017. First aired on the 22nd, average 4.6% and peak 6.3%; Park Hae-soo plays Kim Je-hyuk, a superstar baseball player
  16. Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Park Hae-soo’s 10 unknown years ↗Aug. 6, 2026. Preview of KBS’s Happy Together. His own recollection that he became known through Prison Playbook after 10 unknown years
  17. Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Prison Playbook ends ↗Jan. 19, 2018. Final episode on the 18th, average 11.2% and peak 13.2% nationwide on paid platforms, a series high
  18. Money Today (Korean) · Park Hae-soo marries ↗Jan. 14, 2019. Married a woman six years younger at a private ceremony in Seoul attended only by both families, relatives and close acquaintances
  19. Sports Seoul (Korean) · By Quantum Physics opening day ↗Sept. 25, 2019. By Quantum Physics opens on the 25th; Park Hae-soo as Lee Chan-woo
  20. Newsen (Korean) · By Quantum Physics opening day ↗Sept. 25, 2019. The headline calls it Park Hae-soo’s debut as a lead on the big screen
  21. SBS Entertainment News (Korean) · 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards, best new actor ↗Nov. 21, 2019. At Paradise City in Incheon, Park Hae-soo of By Quantum Physics won best new actor; in his acceptance speech he said that day was his birthday
  22. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Blue Dragon Series Awards interview ↗Aug. 18, 2026. Won best actor for The Scarecrow at the 5th Blue Dragon Series Awards on July 31; says he was 38 when he won best new actor at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2019, the oldest winner of that award
  23. MBN (Korean) · Time to Hunt on Netflix on the 23rd ↗April 20, 2020. Released at 4 p.m. on the 23rd in more than 190 countries at the same time; on release day, a talk with director Yoon Sung-hyun and Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Choi Woo-shik, Park Jung-min and Park Hae-soo
  24. Star Today (Korean) · Interview with Park Hae-soo on Squid Game ↗Oct. 2, 2021. Released worldwide on Netflix on the 17th of last month; the first Korean series to reach No. 1 on Netflix’s daily top 10 in the U.S.
  25. SPOTV News (Korean) · Cho Sang-woo in Squid Game ↗Oct. 2, 2021. Plays Cho Sang-woo, a fund manager from Seoul National University who joins the games
  26. Sports Chosun (Korean) · Park Hae-soo welcomes a son ↗Sept. 29, 2021. His agency BH Entertainment said a son had recently been born and that mother and baby were both healthy
  27. Newsen (Korean) · Appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ↗Oct. 7, 2021. His own remark on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that his son was born 10 minutes before Squid Game was released
  28. Seoul Shinmun (Korean) · Interview with Sol Kyung-gu on Yaksha ↗April 14, 2022. Park Hae-soo plays the prosecutor Han Ji-hoon; released on the 8th and No. 3 globally among Netflix films on the 12th
  29. TV Daily (Korean) · Park Hae-soo in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area ↗July 18, 2022. Released on the 24th of last month; plays Berlin, a member of the robbers
  30. OSEN (Korean) · Park Hae-soo in Narco-Saints ↗Sept. 12, 2022. Released Sept. 9; plays Choi Chang-ho, the National Intelligence Service’s head of South America operations
  31. Star Today (Korean) · Misses out on the Emmy for best supporting actor ↗Sept. 13, 2022. Park Hae-soo and O Yeong-su were nominated for best supporting actor at the 74th Emmy Awards and did not win
  32. Newsis (Korean) · Two nominees for the Emmy for best supporting actor ↗Sept. 13, 2022. The 74th Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on the 12th local time
  33. Sports Seoul (Korean) · Interview with Phantom director Lee Hae-young ↗Jan. 27, 2023. Opened on the 18th; set in Gyeongseong in 1933; Park Hae-soo plays Kaito, the new head of security for the Japanese Government-General of Korea; the director explains that they had first tried to cast a Japanese actor but it fell through
  34. Star Today (Korean) · Park Hae-soo in Faust ↗March 21, 2023. Yoo In-chon as Faust, Park Hae-soo as Mephisto; opens March 31 at the Signature Hall of LG Arts Center
  35. Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Jeon Do-yeon in The Cherry Orchard ↗June 5, 2024. Opened on the 4th at LG Arts Center Seoul; Park Hae-soo plays Hwang Doo-sik; Jeon Do-yeon’s first stage play in 27 years; Chekhov’s original adapted to a Korean setting
  36. News1 (Korean) · Round-table interview with Park Hae-soo on The Cherry Orchard ↗July 2, 2024. Opened on the 4th of last month and runs until the 7th; plays Hwang Doo-sik, a self-made entrepreneur
  37. Newsen (Korean) · Karma confirmed for April 4 ↗March 4, 2025. Netflix confirmed April 4 as the release date for Karma
  38. Electronic Times (Korean) · Interview with Park Hae-soo on Karma ↗April 10, 2025. A crime thriller about six people; Park Hae-soo plays Kim Beom-jun, “the witness”
  39. bnt News (Korean) · Park Hae-soo in The Price of Confession ↗Dec. 19, 2025. Released on the 5th; plays Baek Dong-hoon, a prosecutor who was formerly a police officer
  40. Tenasia (Korean) · The Great Flood out Dec. 19 ↗Sept. 10, 2025. Starring Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo, directed by Kim Byung-woo, on Netflix Dec. 19
  41. Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Press event for ENA’s The Scarecrow ↗April 13, 2026. Inspired by the Lee Choon-jae case; Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon and Kwak Sun-young star; first broadcast at 10 p.m. on the 20th on ENA
  42. Edaily (Korean) · Ratings for the first episode of The Scarecrow ↗April 21, 2026. ENA’s Monday-Tuesday drama The Scarecrow premiered on the 20th; Park Hae-soo plays Kang Tae-joo; premiere rating 2.9%
  43. Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Park Hae-soo welcomes a second son ↗Aug. 24, 2026. His agency BH Entertainment said a second son was born on the 23rd and that mother and son were both healthy
  44. SBS (Korean) · The Cherry Orchard arrives in New York ↗Sept. 18, 2026. Opened at the Park Avenue Armory in New York on the 16th local time; the last stop of an overseas tour through Hong Kong, Singapore and Adelaide, Australia after its 2024 Seoul premiere; all 11 performances sold out

Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.