[2] She rose to fame in the Philippines as a contestant on the ABS-CBN original talent show Star Circle Quest in 2004, after which she had a successful acting and singing career before returning to South Korea in 2007.

In 2004, Park released her first EP, Sandara, which sold over 100,000 physical copies, making it the only album by a South Korean artist to be certified platinum by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI).

During the last elimination round, Park received approximately half a million text votes[citation needed] and finished in second place, behind Hero Angeles.

[13] Park also embarked on a music career in the Philippines that led to the release of her self-titled six-track album, Sandara, which included the novelty dance hit "In or Out", a song that parodied her experiences on Star Circle Quest.

[12] In May 2014, ABS-CBN announced that Park would be a guest on Pinoy Big Brother, which set off a social media frenzy, dominating both the Philippines and worldwide Twitter trending topics.

Back in South Korea, Park replaced close friend Yoo In-na as a DJ for her Let's Crank Up the Volume radio program from May to June due to scheduling clashes.

[28] Later in the year, Park made a surprise cameo appearance as a top actress in the last episode of the highly rated Korean drama My Love from the Star.

Park played the role of Steven Yeun's American girlfriend who is left behind as her boyfriend pursues a career in "Mukbang", a popular Korean internet broadcast where generally attractive people paid to eat in front of a webcam.

[31][32] Expectations were high as the series featured Park in her first leading role since returning to South Korea,[33] coupled with the involvement of director Kwon Hyeok-chan (Secret Garden, Master's Sun).

[36][better source needed] Her natural performance impressed the group which led to a second collaboration, where Park featured on their "Tell Me One More Time" comeback stage in place of the original singer, Jang Hana, on KBS2's Music Bank on May 1.

[39][better source needed] Park also made cameo appearances in the television series The Producers, playing a fictional 2 Days & 1 Night variety program cast member alongside her We Broke Up co-star Kang Seung-yoon.

"[44] Through her involvement as YG Entertainment's public relations director, artists such as Akmu, Winner, iKon, and Lee Hi were able to perform on the show, and during an episode for which she wasn't present, friend and fellow actress Yoo In-na replaced her.

[45] Park started the year 2016 with a special appearance in the MBC drama One More Happy Ending,[46] as a beloved but spoiled star of a popular girl group.

[49] Park then joined the judging panel of ABS-CBN's reality singing competition show Pinoy Boyband Superstar, alongside Filipino top stars Yeng Constantino, Vice Ganda, and Aga Muhlach.

[54] As the show was still filming the day after 2NE1 announced their disbandment, Park became the first member to respond after the event by handing a handwritten letter in English to fans on November 26, 2016, and allowing them to upload the contents on her behalf.

[29] Billed as the Korean remake of Begin Again, she portrayed Si-hyun, a convenience store part-timer who seeks out a mysterious melody she hears every night in her dreams, and meets the producer of an Internet broadcasting program who tries to help her find out the music.

[58] Controversy arose when rude remarks directed at Park were made during MBC's SeMoBang: All Broadcasting in the World collaboration segment with Piki Pictures mobile variety team 'This is Real'.

As the concept, the main characters were to "overhear" the constructive criticism of everyday netizens (picked by the 'This is Real' team) by separating the two groups with a thin wall.

[citation needed] Park scored her first mainstream big screen role in the film adaption of the popular webtoon Cheese in the Trap as the heroine's best friend, Jang Bo-ra.

[63] This was followed by a leading role in an indie Vampire action film directed by Lee Won Jun, titled 107th Year of Night,[64] which went on to win the category "Foreign Suspense Thriller Award" at the 2018 International Horror Hotel Festival for the Short Film Division at Cleveland, Ohio, U.S..[citation needed] The year also continued Park's increased regular appearances on television with Mimi Shop, Borrowing Trouble, and MBC's Real Man 300.

[70] In 2020, Park made her musical debut through the stage adaptation of the (tvN) drama Another Oh Hae-young[71][72] and had a cameo in the melodrama Shall We Have Dinner Together as a patient seeking physiological help to remedy her eating habits.

[86][87] Despite being born in the early 80s, Sandara is known to top and beat other competitors in surveys, often with a large gap between their ages, thus earning herself the nickname "vampire" for her youthful skin and look.

[92][93] Labeled a pioneer of unconventional trends, her first appearance in Lollipop sporting her 'palm-tree' hairstyle became the most famous and widely parodied style in 2009 and remains an iconic piece in K-pop.

[94][95] In particular, her 2012 look, for which she had shaved a portion of her trademark locks for the promotional single "I Love You", attracted massive media attention and initially garnered mixed reactions, but was nonetheless praised for its shock factor and contradictory styling to the typical girl-group 'look'.

[103] Park's huge popularity led to her instantly signing many Philippine and foreign endorsement deals ranging from personal care and food products to everyday items at the end of the competition.

[110] After her campaign debuted, the company reported a massive increase in sales that put them only behind Samsung, the largest business conglomerate in South Korea, for the year of 2012.

Despite having already worked with Etude House in 2010 alongside her group, the makeup brand sought to continue with her for an additional two years with the belief that her image would be a "good influence" to potential buyers.

[111] The limited special not only increased Etude House's sales, but also attracted a foreign consumer base who, moments after Park was seen holding the item, visited the South Korean stores specifically to purchase the umbrella, where it was bought in every color.

[115] The following year, the company's mascara, Salon de Cara, was launched with Park as its model and sold out 130,000 units of its initial stock nationwide in three weeks.

Having long considered the Philippines their second home after spending their childhood there, the Park siblings responded to the desperate situation by collaborating with both "WEGENERATION" and charity organization "World Share" to launch an online emergency aid fundraising system.