South Korean actress Park Eun-bin is currently enjoying one of the busiest periods of her career.
This interview took place in mid-August on the second day of KCON LA, where Park participated in a discussion about her latest K-drama Spooky in Love, which concluded its run late last month. She mentioned that she would be departing Los Angeles the following morning and, upon returning to Seoul, would begin filming her next project (later confirmed to be the upcoming film Nam Eun Jung).
In addition to her acting commitments, she is preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her entertainment debut by releasing her first full-length album and embarking on a fan concert tour spanning Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and potentially several other countries.
Poster for Park Eun-bin’s fan concert in Seoul
Courtesy of NAMOO ACTORS
“I have to start filming my next project, so I can’t do a very extensive tour,” Park shares in Korean. “I’m mainly going to places that I’d promised in the past that I would visit.”
She explains that she has been rigorously preparing for her upcoming concerts, which will feature her singing and directly engaging with her dedicated fanbase, collectively known as BINGOs. For Park, these concerts also represent an opportunity to express her gratitude for their unwavering support.
“Since I’ve had two projects released this year, I wanted to return some of the love I’ve received by meeting with fans in person,” she says.
Her album, titled Shooting My Love—a nod to sending her love to her fans—is scheduled for release on September 4th, coinciding with her 34th birthday. The record will include 12 tracks, three of which are new songs with lyrics penned by Park herself.
“I always feel the love from my fans, and I started thinking that I wanted the love they give me to also be directed towards themselves,” she explains. “So I was able to express some of the things I wanted to say to my fans through my lyrics.”
Park Eun-bin’s ‘Shooting My Love’ album cover
NAMOO ACTORS
A look back at Park Eun-bin’s illustrious acting career so far
A former child actor who has matured into one of Korea’s most respected actresses of her generation, Park began her career as a child model at the age of four before securing her first acting role just one year later.
Throughout her childhood and teenage years, she appeared in numerous hit K-dramas, including Glass Slippers, My Love Patzzi, The Legend (a.k.a. Taewangsasingi), Queen Seondeok, and The Iron Empress (a.k.a. Empress Cheonchu), earning the Best Young Actress award at the 2009 KBS Drama Awards for the latter.
Her prominence continued to grow in her twenties with roles in internationally acclaimed K-dramas such as Hello, My Twenties!, Hot Stove League, Do You Like Brahms?, and The King’s Affection—the final of which she credits with attracting many of her most devoted fans.
She then achieved worldwide recognition through the blockbuster series Extraordinary Attorney Woo, where her compelling portrayal of a brilliant attorney on the autism spectrum garnered her numerous domestic and international accolades.
How ‘Castaway Diva’ became a turning point for Park Eun-bin’s career
Having dedicated nearly her entire life to acting, singing—and songwriting—had never been part of her plans until she was cast as aspiring singer Seo Mok-ha in the 2023 series Castaway Diva. This role allowed her to uncover a talent she hadn’t previously explored and motivated her to refine her vocal abilities.
“Before that, I’d never really had a reason to sing,” Park notes. “I think Castaway Diva was a wonderful project that was like a turning point for me. Because of that project, I was able to sing and create my own repertoire [of songs].”
She took singing lessons for the first time while preparing for the series, though she attributes much of her improvement to the extensive time spent in the recording studio.
“Honestly, more than the lessons, I think I improved a lot while actually recording, because I had to,” Park says.
“The composers had a certain level they needed me to reach, and they worked very hard with me throughout the whole process to bring me up to that level,” she adds.
“I couldn’t sing very well at first,” she admits. “But the more I did it, the better I gradually became. Thanks to them, I think my skills improved inside the recording booth.”
Park Eun-bin on making her new album ‘Shooting My Love’—and trying songwriting for the first time
Park acknowledges the music producers from Castaway Diva for helping bring both her new album and fan concerts to fruition.
“I’m still working with the same music team from back then,” she says. “That’s why I’ve been able to do things like this now.”
Following the conclusion of Castaway Diva, Park continued collaborating with the show’s music team to release her own singles. Within a couple of years, they had compiled enough material for a full album. As the 30th anniversary of her debut approached, they decided to compile the tracks into a complete record and “use it as a milestone” to mark the occasion.
In addition to nine previously released songs, Shooting My Love features three new tracks: “Dreams Come True,” “태양은 떠올라” (meaning “The Sun Comes Up”), and “PRISM.” Park wrote the lyrics for all three new songs, marking her debut as a songwriter.
“Originally I had no intention of doing it,” she reveals.
At the same time, she found herself seeking an additional creative outlet beyond acting.
“I was living my life every day as an actress,” she says. “But I wanted a space where I could step outside that routine.”
This led her to consider what she truly wanted—and what she hoped to communicate to her fans.
“I began thinking that maybe I could try this,” she says. “In a way, writing song lyrics gave me the chance to listen to myself and say the things I wanted to say, so it felt rather refreshing.”
While Park expresses that she is “very grateful” that opportunities can arise “unexpectedly at any point in your life,” she also clarifies that fans shouldn’t anticipate her transitioning from acting to a full-time singing career.
“My main profession is acting,” she states. “I don’t think that’s going to suddenly change. This was just me trying to find a good balance and giving it a shot.” [Laughs.]
Park Eun-bin will hold her fan concerts at Seoul’s KBS Arena on September 5, Taipei’s Legacy TERA on September 13, Tokyo’s Tachikawa Stage Garden on November 15, and Osaka’s NHK Osaka Hall on November 17.
Poster for Park Eun-bin’s concert in Taipei
Courtesy of NAMOO ACTORS
Poster for Park Eun-bin’s concerts in Japan
Courtesy of NAMOO ACTORS
