She is best known for her leading roles in the hit films Scandal Makers (2008), A Werewolf Boy (2012) and On Your Wedding Day (2018), and the television series Oh My Ghost (2015), Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017), Abyss (2019), Doom at Your Service (2021), and Daily Dose of Sunshine (2023).

[7] Among the notable projects during the early stage in her career are the historical epic The King and I and Peabody Award-winning teen drama Jungle Fish with Kim Soo-hyun, based on a true story that depicts the pressures placed on students to achieve and gain admission to prestigious colleges and universities.

[8][9] Park rose to fame after starring opposite Cha Tae-hyun in comedy Scandal Makers, which drew 8.3 million viewers to become the number one top grosser of 2008 and one of Korean cinema's biggest hits.

[15][16] However, in 2010 she became involved in a series of legal disputes with her then-management agency and a film production company, causing the actress to be tied up in lawsuits and unable to work for the next few years.

[17][18][19] After she was designated the promotional ambassador (called "PiFan Lady") for the 2011 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival,[20][21] Park finally ended her four-year absence from the limelight by headlining the 2012 horror thriller Don't Click.

[22][23][24] Later that year, she starred alongside Song Joong-ki in fantasy romance film A Werewolf Boy,[25][26][27][28] which surpassed 7 million admissions to become one of the most successful Korean melodramas of all time.

[31] In 2013, Park joined the cast of Law of the Jungle, a reality-documentary program featuring comedian Kim Byung-man and several celebrities as they explore and survive the New Zealand wilderness.

[32] In a departure from her previous sweet, innocent characters, Park played the tough, potty-mouthed leader of her high school gang in Hot Young Bloods (2014), a teen romantic comedy set in the 1980s.

[45][46] In June 2016, Park was cast as the title role in JTBC's series Strong Girl Bong-soon, premiered in February 2017, where she played a character with superhuman strength.

[73] In May 2017 and April 2019, she held autograph signing events to donate a total of 1.1 million pieces of sanitary pads to Korean Women's Welfare Association as part of the campaign.

[79] In February 2021, she donated 30 million won to non-profit organization Good Neighbors in celebration of her birthday to provide young girls from low-income families with sanitary items.

[80] In February 2022, international development cooperation NGO G-Foundation announced that Park donated 50 million won on her birthday to fund kits with sanitary products for young girls from low-income households.

[81] In March, she donated 50 million won to Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help residents affected by the wildfires in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, Samcheok, Gangneung, Donghae, and Yeongwol.