South Korean actor Son Suk Ku, whose undeniable charm often gets international Hallyu fans and K-netz swooning, has bared it heart about an acting hiatus.
Long before Netflix Korea forged an unbreakable connection with the K-drama cream of the crop – Park Bo Gum, Kang Ha Neul, Lee Jun Young, Bae Na Ra, Song Kang, Park Ji Hoon and Jung Hae In – it had shared a bond like no other with Son Suk Ku. Despite the recent confirmation that the prolific actor rejected the global sensation Squid Game, the beloved leading man has starred across several hits that have become synonymous with the streaming giant’s identity.
Having appeared in unforgettable hits available on Netflix, including DP, My Liberation Notes, A Killer Paradox, and Heavenly Ever After, Son switched back to Disney Plus for his latest stellar performance in Nine Puzzles. Disney Plus is also home to yet another award-winning K-drama hit with him in the lead – Big Bet.
Son Suk Ku announces acting hiatus amid 2025 Kdrama success story
The 2025 double Son Suk Ku feature, thanks to the crime drama and Heavenly Ever After‘s simultaneous premieres, granted him the No 1 rank on last month’s Drama Actor Brand Reputation Rankings. Although he slipped a spot in June, the Korean Business Research Institute positioned him at No 2. His continued leading stance on K-drama stats stand testament to his glorious run as an actor whose acting chops are equally the talk of the town as his undisputed aura.
However, this seemingly endless streak appears to have left Suk Ku low on creative fuel. And so, in an interview with Sports Seoul, he weighed in on the possibility of him hanging up his acting cape in the near future. As he still seems to be surrounded by industry projects, he spilled that he would ultimately be taking “quite a long break” once he wraps up all his current commitments.
“In the past, I was focussed on appearing in as many works as possible,” he opened up. “I’ve learned a lot through that experience, but now I feel it’s time to focus on more meaningful expressions.” He further admitted that producing a large volume of works required the investment of a lot of time and energy. However, with his upcoming chapter in his profession, he hopes to change up his old practices and explore other ways to perform.
Delving into which challenge he will be accepting next, Son revealed that he has no plans of sitting idle during his forthcoming hiatus. “I do have dreams and plans during this break — mainly to take on new challenges I haven’t explore before.” One of these being writing a screenplay.
Son Suk Ku once rejected Squid Game
In December 2024, some close to Son Suk Ku revealed that his former agency presented him with opportunity to play one of the top roles, eventually taken on by Park Hae Soo, in Squid Game. Upon further deliberation, he ended up rejecting the role. The same chance circled back to him for the superhit show’s second season.
Despite his clear intentions to take on the responsibility at the time, the cast lineup for main roles had already been confirmed with Im Siwan and Kang Ha Neul taking those seats. Moreover, his Big Bet filming schedule clash with the Netflix sensation posed another aversion to his commitment.
He went down a similar path while securing his lead in Nine Puzzles this year. Even as others continued suggesting the possibility of him starring in several projects simultaneously, he just kept his head buried in the Disney Plus K-drama script.
“It’s a tightly constructed mystery, so I didn’t want to stand out in a distracting way. The director Yoon Jong Bin has a clear vision and extensive experience, so all I had to do was trust him and focus,” he explained.
Son Suk Ku: A team actor
As his fans would also agree to, despite his top status as one of the most prominent South Korean actors, Son Suk Ku never chased the “one-top” title. He has rather been seen committing to roles that have always somehow been a crucial addition to a praiseworthy ensemble. Even looking back at himself joining Troll Factory (2024) film cast, The Roundup star confessed that he was more drawn to the project due to the involvement of fellow actors Kim Sung Cheol, Hong Kyung and Kim Dong Hwi. The thought of creating synergy with them is what ultimately attracted him to the crime flick.