“Penthouse” Actor Park Eun Seok Voluntarily Enlisted In The Military — But Not For The Reason You’d Think

He was an American citizen who didn’t speak any Korean at the time.

In light of the skyrocketing popularity of SBS‘s Penthouse, actor, Park Eun Seok, who plays the role of Logan Lee, is gaining attention for his amazing English pronunciation and spectacular acting ability.

But for those who know his past, his English ability isn’t surprising at all.

| SBS

In an interview last year for KBS‘s Doctor Prisoner, Park Eun Seok confessed that he immigrated to the States when he was 7 and lived in New York for over 15 years.

And upon being advised by his mother to pursue his dream of becoming an actor in Korea at 22 years old, he moved back to Korea, but it wasn’t easy because he couldn’t speak Korean.

It was hard. The only think I knew how to do was speak English, so I thought English for a while before I was lucky enough to be accepted into Seoul Institute of the Arts for broadcasting in 2006.

— Park Eun Seok

But what surprises many is the fact that he voluntarily enlisted in the military for a very unexpected reason.

To learn Korean so he could pursue his dream of acting.

My parents were against it, but after spending 2 years in the military with a bunch of guys spending 24 hours a day together, my Korean improved a lot. The military is like a condensed version of society. Not only did I learn Korean, but I learned about Korean society, culture, and customs.

— Park Eun Seok

Netizens are reacting to the surprising revelation with comments such as “That’s passion on a whole another level“, “He went to the military when he’s not even a Korean citizen?“, and “So that’s why he’s so good at English“.

| SBS

Penthouse is currently airing every Monday and Tuesday on SBS.

Source: Wikitree