Actor Park Bo-gum has long been known as the quintessential "good guy" of Korean drama—an image he's skillfully woven into his roles over the years. But in Good Boy, that familiar virtue takes on a raw and rugged edge.
In Reply 1988, he was pure-hearted. In Love in the Moonlight, he brought a delicate grace. In When Life Gives You Tangerines, he portrayed steadfast kindness. Now, in Good Boy, he weaponizes that righteousness with a bulldozing force.
In the JTBC drama Good Boy (written by Lee Dae-il, directed by Shim Na-yeon), Park's character Yoon Dong-joo is a former national boxing champion turned police officer. He doesn't hesitate when confronted with injustice—his fists fly faster than his thoughts, guided by an instinct to act. He's tough when needed, soft when it counts.
"No one's born good. You try to live that way—because you don't want to regret it." — Yoon Dong-joo
Dong-joo is good by choice, not by default. That intentionality makes his kindness all the more powerful. He fights corruption and villains with discipline and righteous fury. His physicality isn't just for show—it mirrors the intensity of a high-stakes boxing match.
The action kicks off right from episode 1, where he takes down a powerful local gang—the Golden Axe crew—barehanded and outnumbered. Bloodied but unrelenting, Dong-joo barrels forward with a grin on his face.
By episode 4, he channels Muhammad Ali—floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee—as he chases a fleeing suspect (Min Joo-young, played by Oh Jung-se), even leaping from a rooftop onto a moving car.
Behind these scenes is Park Bo-gum's unshakable commitment. Filming took place from the sweltering summer through the bone-chilling winter. He endured real bruises and exhaustion—so much so that filming had to be paused for a month due to injury. Still, he returned to finish every action sequence himself.
The role isn't just physically demanding—it's emotionally layered. Dong-joo is a former gold medalist who fell from grace due to doping accusations. As a police officer, he repeatedly clashes with systemic corruption. His surrogate brother Kyung-il (played by Lee Jun-hyuk) dies under suspicious circumstances, and Dong-joo's own health declines from suspected neurological trauma—punch-drunk syndrome.
Even more heartbreakingly, Kyung-il's mother (played by Seo Jung-yeon) is later attacked by the antagonist. But the tougher things get, the harder Dong-joo pushes back. His refusal to compromise—even in the face of overwhelming adversity—offers a strange sense of catharsis. He charges toward evil without hesitation, just as his name "Dong-joo" alludes to: "To live without shame when looking up at the sky."
Another highlight of the show is the "Goodvengers"—a special police task force made up of former national athletes. The team includes:
- Kim So-hyun as Ji Han-na, a sharpshooter and sergeant
- Lee Sang-yi as Kim Jong-hyun, a fencing silver medalist
- Tae Won-seok as Shin Jae-hong, a bronze medal-winning discus thrower
- Heo Sung-tae as Ko Man-sik, the bronze medalist wrestler and team captain
Together, they bring chaos, comedy, and kinetic action to the screen. While they often bicker, their mismatched chemistry adds rhythm and heart to the crime drama, with Heo Sung-tae delivering comic relief in spades.
At first, their unit seems like a "golden misfit squad," all passion with few results. But as the story deepens, their individual wounds surface, showing how they help each other heal—and grow together.
And then there's Oh Jung-se.
Known for his dynamic range—madness, comedy, unrequited love—Oh turns chilling in his role as Min Joo-young, the show's main villain. By day, he's a customs official; by night, he quietly controls the city's darkest corners.
From episode 3, the mask drops. He reveals his cold-blooded nature—calm, unbothered, and eerily composed, even when cornered. He's a villain who doesn't even recognize his own cruelty. "Am I really that bad?" he asks in episode 6—an ominous sign of what's to come.
Good Boy strikes a balance between gripping crime sequences, team-based action, personal stories, and even a sprinkle of romance. The result? A drama that dominates both popularity and ratings.
The series has topped drama buzz rankings for three straight weeks. Episode 6, which aired on June 16, scored a personal best rating of 6.2% nationwide (Nielsen Korea).
That same episode ended with a gut-wrenching cliffhanger—Min Joo-young landing a devastating counterpunch on Dong-joo. The stakes have never been higher.
Can Dong-joo turn the tables?
Good Boy airs every Saturday at 10:40 PM and Sunday at 10:30 PM (KST) on JTBC.
