Park Bo Gum’s Tough Childhood

South Korean television drama Record of Youth is one of the most popular fall-entry series this year, and its main stars—including Park Bo Gum and Parasite star Park So Dam—are definitely receiving another boost in popularity.

And it isn’t difficult to see why Record of Youth became such a big hit. It stars Park Bo Gum as Sa Hye Jun, a model who dreams to become a top actor. To fulfill his dream, he hustles to get audition opportunities and hurdles through barriers that block him from achieving success. Many young viewers find this journey of his relatable and close to home.

And in many ways, Park Bo Gum himself can also personally identify with his character.

According to reports, Park Bo Gum’s mother passed away from illness when he was in fourth grade. His father carried the weight of being both father and mother to him and his two older siblings. Even to this day, Park Bo Gum would cry at the thought of his mother—during a table read for Reply 1988, the actor cried after reciting the line, “I miss my mother every single day.”

Park Bo Gum debuted in the industry when he was still in high school. Shortly before then, his father went through a business failure, and was 800 million won in debt. At 15 years old, Park Bo Gum became his father’s loan guarantor. Unable to repay back the astronomical debt, his father applied for bankruptcy shortly thereafter.

Similar to his character in Record of Youth, family is the core of Park Bo Gum’s life.

Park Bo Gum has always been known for his generosity and kindness. Having personally experienced through financial distress in his life, he makes it his mission to provide for others as best as he can.

Source: HK01.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.