Park Sae-ro-yi is the stubborn, deeply principled protagonist of Itaewon Class. As a teenager he is expelled from school and later imprisoned after standing up to Jang Geun-won, the entitled heir of the Jangga food empire, and refusing to apologize. The death of his father, caused by Jang Geun-won, hardens his resolve and sets him on a years-long path of self-discipline and quiet preparation.
After his release, Park Sae-ro-yi opens the bar-restaurant DanBam in Itaewon, assembling a misfit team and slowly turning the venture into a competitive franchise. His unwavering moral code, refusal to compromise his values, and devotion to the people who believe in him make him both an inspiring leader and, at times, a frustratingly inflexible one.
Across the series his rivalry with the Jang family escalates from a personal vendetta into a broader contest over how a business and a person should behave. He is also at the center of a love triangle involving Jo Yi-seo and his first love Oh Soo-ah, and his eventual emotional growth is as central to the story as his commercial revenge.
Park Sae-ro-yi is one of the central figures in Itaewon Class, a drama/korean/revenge/romance series that aired on jTBC from 2020. Within the narrative of Itaewon Class, Park Sae-ro-yi serves as a pivotal character whose decisions and relationships drive key story arcs throughout Season 1. The character's journey has been central to many of the show's most memorable and discussed moments.
Portrayed by Park Seo-joon, Park Sae-ro-yi has become one of the most recognizable characters in modern television. Park Seo-joon's performance brings nuance and depth to the role, creating a character that resonates with audiences on both intellectual and emotional levels. Park Seo-joon's work has been recognized with 2 major awards, reflecting the critical acclaim their portrayal has received.
Explore More on TVCeleb
TVCeleb.com is the internet's most comprehensive resource for television character fandom, covering 635 acclaimed TV series with 1982 detailed character profiles and 1613 actor biographies. Our coverage spans 155 genres across 145 networks and streaming platforms, with content organized to help fans discover, explore, and engage with television from every angle.
Browse our collection by genre to find shows in your preferred category, by network to see what's available on your streaming platform, by decade to explore different eras of television history, or by curated lists that group characters by archetype and achievement. Each show page features expanded synopses, production details, and video content, while character pages include detailed arc analysis, key episodes, quotes, trivia, and fan ecosystem mapping.
Every character on TVCeleb is scored using our proprietary Fan Heat Index, which measures engagement, social activity, meme velocity, fan art density, and fandom longevity on a scale of 0 to 100. This data-driven approach provides objective insight into which characters have inspired the most passionate and active fan communities. Use the search page to find any character, show, or actor instantly, or start browsing from our homepage to discover what's trending in television fandom today.
? Frequently Asked Questions
He is imprisoned after attacking Jang Geun-won, the Jangga heir who bullied a classmate and was responsible for his father's death, and after refusing to back down or apologize to the powerful Jang family.
Without spoiling the ending in detail, Park Sae-ro-yi's long campaign against the Jangga conglomerate drives the entire series, and the finale resolves both his business ambitions and his personal relationships.
