The 'Reply 1988' 10th anniversary special featured Ryu Jun-yeol reuniting with Jung-bong's family.
On the October 19th broadcast of tvN's 'Reply 1988 10th Anniversary', the first part of the Ssangmun-dong family's two-day trip to Gangwon Province was aired to celebrate the drama's milestone.
The 'Reply 1988' cast recreated their iconic fashion from the series, bringing back memories from a decade ago. The families of Deok-sun (Sung Dong-il, Lee Il-hwa, Ryu Hye-young, Hyeri, Choi Sung-won), Dong-ryong (Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Dong-hwi), Taek (Choi Moo-sung, Park Bo-gum), Sun-woo (Kim Sun-young, Go Kyung-pyo), and Jung-bong (Ra Mi-ran, Kim Sung-kyun, Ryu Jun-yeol, Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Min-ji) gathered at three different locations.
Ryu Jun-yeol, who was initially expected to miss the reunion due to scheduling conflicts, surprised everyone by joining Jung-bong's family. The unsuspecting family members welcomed him with, "You said you couldn't come," and Ryu shared a humorous greeting with his on-screen father, Kim Sung-kyun.
Despite his busy schedule, Ryu Jun-yeol attended the 'Reply 1988' reunion, stating, "I happened to be filming nearby in Gangwon Province. I have to leave after the opening shoot," and expressed his nostalgia by saying, "This café feels like home."
When PD Choi Won-ho asked, "Is it your first time seeing each other in a while?" Ryu replied, "It's been a long time. I saw Jung-bong hyung and mom at a movie premiere and at award shows." Seeing his on-screen family again, he remarked, "Dad hasn't aged a bit."
The cast reminisced about their time filming 'Reply 1988'. Lee Min-ji recalled the secrecy during filming, not knowing until the last moment that her on-screen father was played by actor Go Chang-seok.
The old-fashioned spam that Jung-bong used to eat was specially imported from Sweden after a month-long wait. Ahn Jae-hong shared, "'Reply 1988' is popular overseas too. When I went to India for a documentary, people recognized me as 'Jung-bong?'" Ra Mi-ran added, "They asked me, 'Are you Jung-bong's mom?'"
Ryu Jun-yeol noted, "Director Park Chan-wook, who rarely watches dramas, enjoyed 'Reply 1988'," highlighting the show's impact.
During the family games, Jung-bong's family played a 'character quiz'. Ryu Jun-yeol failed to recognize the All Day Project's Tarzan, admitting, "I don't know much about idols. I didn't expect to be caught."
After the opening shoot, Ryu expressed his regret, saying, "I'm so sad I can't stay longer," due to his filming commitments. Ra Mi-ran humorously scolded him, "You should call more often. Other people's sons call more," before sharing a heartwarming story of Ryu buying her a gift.
Meanwhile, Ryu Jun-yeol's attendance at the 'Reply 1988' 10th anniversary reunion was a hot topic. After publicly dating Girl's Day's Hyeri for eight years following 'Reply 1988', the couple announced their breakup in November 2023. Although both attended the reunion, they did not cross paths due to the separate family gatherings.
By Kim Eun-jung, TenAsia Reporter eun@tenasia.co.kr