“When Life Gives You Tangerines” Sparks Outrage for Making Park Bo Gum Look “Less Attractive”
Recently, actor Park Bo Gum has been affectionately dubbed the “Nation’s Husband” by netizens across Asia for his outstanding performance in the drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines“, starring alongside IU. In the series, he plays Gwan Sik, a man who, from childhood to old age, loves Ae Soon with unwavering devotion. His love, subtle and self-sacrificing, deeply moved viewers, making many fall completely for his character. With his handsome features, sun-kissed skin and warm smile, Park Bo Gum has become the ideal man in the eyes of countless women.
However, a recent statement from the drama’s director, Kim Won Seok, has sparked heated debate. In an interview recorded by Conrad Seoul, Director Kim shared behind-the-scenes insights into how the character Gwan Sik was developed. Notably, his comment about how the production team worked hard to make Park Bo Gum “less attractive” is now drawing sharp criticism. He stated that Park Bo Gum’s good looks were “the biggest challenge” in aligning with the role, which led the team to take steps such as tanning his skin and gaining weight.
Park Bo Gum also shared his own experience of being made to look “less attractive” for the role, “For this project, the makeup team applied dark foundation all over my body, from head to toe. They worked hard to portray someone who had lived in Jeju for a long time and had been sun-tanned by the sun. I also gained a lot of weight for the role. When watching the drama, I felt I looked more solid than expected, though my face still appeared slim. I gained around 4~5 kilograms.”
Korean netizens reacted strongly to Director Kim’s comment. Many argued that the claim “Park Bo Gum’s handsome face was the biggest obstacle for the role” was simply untrue. In fact, the character Gwan Sik is described in the script as “tall and handsome”, while Ae Soon is “short and feisty”. Thus, trying to make him appear less attractive was unnecessary. Korean netizens also pointed out that despite the production team’s efforts, Park Bo Gum still looked incredibly appealing on screen with his tanned skin.
Meanwhile, international netizens responded even more critically. On platform X (formerly Twitter), numerous posts quoted Park Bo Gum’s remarks about tanning and weight gain, accompanied by questions challenging Korean beauty standards. One widely shared post read, “Korea really has the weirdest beauty standards. Is being tan and not skinny considered unattractive?”
While the incident has sparked broader debate about the rigid and sometimes unrealistic beauty standards in the Korean entertainment industry, Park Bo Gum continues to receive widespread praise. Netizens commend him for his dedication to transforming his image to genuinely resemble a hardworking man a true fisherman and still, undeniably handsome.
