The success of the Korean zombie series “All of Us Are Dead” on Netflix has brought instant fame to its stars.
Korean actor Lomon (aka Park Solomon), 22, who plays Lee Su-hyeok in the series, saw the number of his Instagram followers skyrocket from 250,858 on Jan. 27, the day before “All of Us Are Dead” was released, to 4.35 million as of Feb. 12, or an increase of 4.1 million followers in just 16 days.
During an interview with Korean media outlets, Lomon talked about his original dream, his newfound fame, his co-stars, dual citizenship and the success of “All of Us Are Dead.”
K-pop idol
When he was asked when did he dream of becoming an actor, Lomon revealed that his first dream was really to become a K-pop idol.
"I wanted to be an idol because I liked to dance, but an acquaintance introduced me to CEO Jung Hoon-tak of Sidus, and the CEO asked me if I wanted to learn acting so I started it. At first, I felt like I was going to play but it turned out to be so fun and attractive,” he said.
Lomon added, “I have a natural desire to compete so I have a strong desire to do well, so I think I have worked hard until now.”
Lomon made his acting debut in the 2016 Korean film “Horror Stories 3.” He changed his stage name to Lomon in 2020. Just before “All of Us Are Dead” was released on Jan. 28, Lomon signed an exclusive contract with Big Smile Entertainment. His role model is “Squid Game” star Lee Byung-hun.
Reuniting with Cho Yi-hyun
Before “All of Us Are Dead,” Lomon and Cho Yi-hyun, who plays class president Choi Nam-ra, worked together in the 2017 Korean drama “Sweet Revenge.” Actor Yoo In-soo, who plays villain Yoon Gwi-nam, was also in the drama.
“I met Cho Yi-hyun for the first time in ‘Sweet Revenge’ and I remembered her. But she could not remember me. I thought ‘It could happen,’” he said.
Born in Uzbekistan
Lomon was asked about his nationality and his name. He was born on Nov. 11, 1999 in Uzbekistan.
“I was born in Uzbekistan and got dual citizenship. When I was a minor, my mother applied for nationality, but I can automatically choose it, so I currently have Korean nationality. I have no dual citizenship,” he said.
Lomon is an ethnic Korean and descended from Koryo-saram, a term referring to ethnic Koreans who live in Uzbekistan and other post-Soviet Union states.
He went to Korea when he was about 11 and said, “I didn’t feel anything different in elementary school, middle school, and high school after coming to Korea. I've never felt like a multicultural family living in Korea. Thank you for showing great interest and love in Uzbekistan, the country where I was born.”
Rising star and proud of “All of Us Are Dead”
Due to the success of “All of Us Are Dead,” Lomon has been called a “rising star.”
“I'm hearing that I'm a ‘rising star’ but I can't believe it. I'm very thankful. I want to become an actor with sincerity in acting, who values the process as important as I have done so far. I want to become an actor who has no regrets,” he said.
Lomon is receiving a lot of love and support from people around the world and he said he is grateful.
"There was an advertisement for ‘All of Us Are Dead’ in Times Square, New York. I was so happy to see that. It was so strange to see my face there. People around me said it was amazing and sent me a lot of messages of support. I never imagined that I would appear on Netflix, but I am so grateful that I received so much love,” he said.