Recently appointed regional brand ambassador for Montblanc and fresh off his role in Undercover High School, actor Seo Kang Jun shares with us his journey thus far on both the personal and professional fronts.

After hitting pause from the spotlight, Seo Kang Jun returns to the world of entertainment with renewed purpose and a refined sense of self. Best known for his magnetic screen presence and nuanced performances, the actor made his highly anticipated return with the drama Undercover High School, where he dives into the role of a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who goes undercover as a high school student, showing charm with depth &mdash; signalling a new chapter in his evolving career.
Beyond the screen, Seo&rsquo;s influence now extends into the realm of luxury as he takes on the role of Montblanc&rsquo;s regional brand ambassador, an appointment that feels almost destined, given his timeless elegance and modern sophistication. In this exclusive cover story with L&rsquo;OFFICIEL, Seo Kang Jun opens up about the meaning of journey and growth as he rediscovers his passion for acting and what it means to represent Montblanc.

You&rsquo;ve been on so many journeys &mdash; in your career, personally, and even literally. Now, when you hear the word &ldquo;journey", what comes to mind? 
For me, journeys can also mean travel, and whenever I travelled, there was always a river. So I guess rivers come to mind because when I was younger, while acting and even before that, living my life trying to achieve something or change something, I realised I wasn&rsquo;t happy. So, like those rivers I&rsquo;d see when travelling, I feel happiest when I just let things flow naturally, hence, rivers.
You&rsquo;ve just returned from your military service, which is a different kind of journey altogether. How has it shifted your perspective on life or work? 
Military service is definitely a journey. There are two kinds: one you choose and one you are chosen for. The military was, of course, the latter, a journey I didn&rsquo;t want to take.
[Laughs] I really didn&rsquo;t want to go, but once I was there, I learned a lot. First, I realised how many different kinds of people there are. Second, I missed being on set so much, performing in front of many people after months of preparation. It reminded me just how much I truly love this profession.

If your career were a journey with milestones, which &ldquo;stop&rdquo; (one of your many projects) along the way has changed you the most? 
Do you know Entourage? I think the project, which wasn&rsquo;t well-received by the public, became a huge turning point for me. When something doesn&rsquo;t work out, you start questioning why you act, why you should keep doing this job at all. Those moments helped me become mentally stronger and served as big catalysts for change.
If your career were a journey with milestones, which &ldquo;stop&rdquo; (one of your many projects) along the way has changed you the most? Do you know Entourage? 
I think the project, which wasn&rsquo;t well-received by the public, became a huge turning point for me. When something doesn&rsquo;t work out, you start questioning why you act, why you should keep doing this job at all. Those moments helped me become mentally stronger and served as big catalysts for change.

Montblanc is a maison that celebrates every individual&rsquo;s unique journey, grounded in craftsmanship and timeless expression. How do you see your own path aligning with that philosophy? 
I think Montblanc is a brand that focuses on essence and on values that some might consider unnecessary, but are still worth pursuing. As I mentioned earlier, when I reflect on why I&rsquo;m an actor and why I continue to act, it comes down to being someone who tells stories and shares them with others. In that way, I think we share the same philosophy of focusing on the essence.
 As Montblanc&rsquo;s regional brand ambassador, what&rsquo;s it like being the face of a brand that&rsquo;s all about meaningful travel and timeless stories? 
It feels very reassuring, and I&rsquo;m excited for the journeys ahead. As I mentioned, Montblanc values essence with its rich history and tradition. I believe it&rsquo;s a brand that will remain unchanged 100 or 200 years from now. So the journeys we&rsquo;ll take together ahead feel both reliable and exciting.

When you travel, what inspires you the most, and how does that inspiration carry over into your creative expression?
I always make time to see the city at night whenever I travel, because I believe that&rsquo;s when the real face of a city is revealed. At night, you see all kinds of people: the homeless, tourists, people heading home from work, and people drinking at pubs. Watching them stirs emotions I wouldn&rsquo;t have felt otherwise. Later, when I&rsquo;m acting and reading a script, these impressions become a rich source of imagery and inspiration.
What keeps you grounded no matter where you are in the world?
For me, it is kind of abstract. I think I always keep in mind &ldquo;the end&rdquo;. Like the end of life. One day, we will all reach it, and I consider it most important to live without regrets when that time comes. So I try to do my best in each moment so I won&rsquo;t regret anything in the end. That mindset keeps me grounded.

On travel, what&rsquo;s on your bucket list of destinations? 
Iceland. I&rsquo;ve actually been there before, but only to the south; I never got to visit the north. In the north, there&rsquo;s a waterfall called Dettifoss that I really want to see someday. When I visited the south, I saw the magnificent Gullfoss waterfall, and it made me feel so many emotions: fear, awe, excitement. I wonder what it would feel like to see another great waterfall in the north, so I&rsquo;d love to visit one day.
What&rsquo;s next on the pipeline for you that you can share with your fans? 
There&rsquo;s nothing I can share just yet...I haven&rsquo;t confirmed my next project. But I&rsquo;m hopeful that there will be good news soon. For now, I can say that I have new journeys ahead with Montblanc this year. Please look forward to it.

Our October 2025 "The Voice" issue featuring Seo Kang Jung will be available in selected major bookstores and newsstands in Malaysia and online on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.magzter.com/SG/AMTD-Digital-Media-Solutions/L%27OFFICIEL-Malaysia/Fashion/">www.magzter.com</a>.

Cover Credits:
Photography Kim Hee June Creative Direction Takafumi Kawasaki Words Calvin Chong Makeup Kwak Hyeryeong Hair Eom Jungmi Stylist Choi Jinyoung Production Oh Seoyul All Bags &amp; Watches Montblanc Special Thanks&nbsp;Fairmont Seoul

October 2025 Cover: Seo Kang Jun on his journey in life, career and more feat. Montblanc

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October 2025 Cover: Seo Kang Jun on his journey in life, career and more feat. Montblanc

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