7 years after ‘Reply 1988’, Park Bo Gum is now a top actor, while Hyeri has yet to gain a more successful role than Duk Sun.
7 years have passed since the last broadcast of “Reply 1988“, but the drama still remains one of the most loved family and slice-of-life dramas of all time. It was once voted the best drama ever by Korean netizens on Pann. When it was released in 2015, “Reply 1988” recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 18.803% for its last episode, setting a new record for tvN and becoming the 4th highest-rated drama in the history of Korean cable TV.
“Reply 1988” consists of 20 episodes, directed by Shin Won Ho and penned by Lee Woo Jung. The story is intertwined between the present and the past, depicting the youth of a group of 5 close friends (four boys, one girl) and the touching love of 5 families in Ssangmun Dong neighborhood. Realistic footage, relatable dialogues, meaningful messages, and life lessons are what help “Reply 1988” win the hearts of viewers of all ages.
Duk Sun’s family
Sung Dong Il plays the character of the same name, the father and breadwinner of the Sung family. He is a longtime banker, who is grumpy but affectionate. He loves his three children unconditionally. Many of his scenes brought tears to viewers, especially the scene of seeing off his first daughter to get married. Even though the shoes his daughter bought didn’t fit his feet, he still tried to wear them to make her happy.
Sung Dong Il is a veteran Korean actor. He was born in 1964 and has been active in the industry for 33 years. His filmography includes nearly 100 movies and TV series, most notably the “Reply” series (1997, 1994 and 1988), “Lovers in Paris”, “Green Rose”, “Fashion 70s”, “Gap-dong”, “It’s Okay, That’s Love”…
Currently, he is happily married to Park Kyung Hye, a non-celebrity who is 14 years younger than him. The couple has three children, a son and two daughters. He and his two eldest children have a large fan base across Asia thanks to their participation in the reality show “Where Are We Going, Dad?”.
Lee Il Hwa also plays the character of the same name, a housewife. She takes good care of her husband and children. She is also kind to her neighbors and likes to “gossip”. Her styling, image, and way of talking feel realistic and close.
Lee Il Hwa was born in 1971 and made her acting debut in 1991. Like Sung Dong Il, Lee Il Hwa is best known for her role in “Reply 1988”. She also earned much praise for her acting in challenging roles in “Iljimae”, “Prosecutor Princess”, “My Love From The Star”, “She Was pretty”…
She and singer Kang In Won got married in 1996 but divorced a year later. The celebrity couple has a child together. In 2011, she married a university professor and has been keeping her personal life a low profile.
Sung Bo Ra – the first daughter of the Sung family – is played by Ryu Hye Young. She is good at studying. Having an unruly nature, she often fights with her siblings. She is active in the student protest movement. Bo Ra’s love story with her neighbor is loved by many viewers.
Ryu Hye Young was born in 1991 and has been engaged in acting activities since 2007. The launching pad from “Reply 1988” helped her to become more familiar with the audience. However, her following roles could not surpass the success of Sung Bo Ra.
Jeon Mi Seon plays the middle-aged Bo Ra, with a strong, hot-tempered personality. According to many viewers, her natural facial expressions are the most charming.
She was born in 1970 and has been acting since 1986. Her outstanding works include: “Christmas in August”, “The Moon Embracing the Sun”, “School 2015″… Jeon Mi Seon tied the knot with director Park Sang Hoon in 2006 and had a son. On June 29, 2019, the public was in shock when she reportedly committed suicide in the bathroom of a small hotel in Jeonju. Many years before she was found dead, the late artist struggled with loneliness and was treated for depression.
Duk Sun, the second child of the Sung family, is played by Hyeri. She is the only female member in the squad of 5 friends on Ssangmun Dong street. Duk Sun has a generous personality, sometimes naive, quick-witted, and clumsy. She later became a flight attendant, so she fell in love with the genius of Korean Go.
Lee Hyeri, born in 1994, is a member of K-pop girl group Girl’s Day. Thanks to the success of “Reply 1988”, she was ranked 3rd by Forbes magazine among the most powerful Korean artists in 2016. Since then, she has been cast as the lead in several dramas but has not surpassed the success of her role as Duk Sun. She is currently dating Ryu Jun Yeol – co-star in “Reply 1988“.
Lee Mi Yeon was born in 1971, famous in Korea in the 1980s thanks to her beauty and talent. In “Reply 1988”, the scriptwriter installed many interesting details, Korean parents at that time compared their children with Mi Yeon: “A 17-18-year-old kid has become a ‘CF Queen’. You only know how to eat and sleep.” At the age of 24, she married Kim Seung Woo but divorced 5 years later. Currently, Mi Yeon is single, while her ex-husband is happy with the star Kim Nam Joo.
Choi Sung Won plays Sung No Eul – the youngest son of the Sung family. The character looks old, naive but observant. No Eul was the first to suspect, finding out that the sisters were seeing two other boys in the neighborhood. The scenes of him being bullied by two sisters brought laughter to the audience.
Choi Sung Won was born in 1985 and has been acting since 2011. In 2016, the doctor diagnosed him with acute blood cancer, causing him to drop out of the drama “Mirror of the Witch”. Thanks to timely detection and treatment, he gradually recovered and re-appeared in dramas and TV shows such as “Gangnam Beauty”, “Psychopath Diary”…
Jung Hwan’s family
Kim Sung Kyun plays the character of the same name, the breadwinner of the Kim family, who is humorous but sometimes seems like a crazy person in the eyes of his wife. He is many years younger than his wife and always trying to please his life partner. Most of the scenes featuring Kim Sung Kyun are hilarious.
Kim Sung Kyun was born in 1980 and originally a theater actor. He was loved by the audience from the drama “Reply 1994”, and later appeared in many hit works such as “Untouchable”, “Phantom Detective”, “The Prison”, “The Fiery Priest”, etc. and most recently the Netflix action blockbuster “Seoul Vibe” to be available this year. Kim Sung Kyun got married to actress Kim Hye Jung in 2010, and had three children.
Ra Mi Ran played the character of the same name, nicknamed “Madame Cheetah” for her straightforward personality, who often scolds her husband but is kind to her neighbors and sensible to her children. According to Naver, experts say that Ra Mi Ran‘s natural acting makes many Korean and Asian housewives excited.
Born in 1975, Ra Mi Ran is a veteran actress. She started her career in theater but has won many prestigious awards in film and television. Her famous works include “Dancing Queen”, “Ode To My Father”, “Miss & Mrs. Cops”, “The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop”, “Miracle that We Met”, etc. Recently, she was confirmed to lead TVING’s new drama ‘Cruel Intern’, along with Uhm Ji Won, her co-star in the 2013 movie “Wish”. The actress got married in 2003, and has a son.
Actor Ahn Jae Hong played the role of the eldest son of the Kim family, Kim Jung Bong, who failed the entrance exam 6 times in a row. Despite being not very intelligent, he is emotional, romantic and has a huge love for his brother. Thanks to Jung Bong winning the lottery, the Kim family had a life-changing experience, becoming a rich family in Ssangmun Dong Street.
Ahn Jae Hong was born in 1986 and started acting in 2009. He mainly played supporting roles in the films “One the Beach at the Night Alone”, “Coin Locker Girl”, “Fight for My Way”, “Miss & Mrs. Cops” etc. After breaking up with his girlfriend who is 5 years younger than him last year, he is currently not dating anyone.
The role of Kim Jung Hwan, a smart, emotional guy that is covered under his cold appearance, is played by Ryu Jun Yeol. He had a one-sided love with his best friend for many years but did not have the courage to declare his feelings to her. According to Pann, viewers’ favorite scenes of Jung Hwan are when he covered Duk Sun on the bus, waited for her to go to school together, and deeply regretted when he let Duk Sun go. Later he became a pilot.
Ryu Jun Yeol was born in 1986. When he was a college student, he used to work as a tutor, restaurant server, pizza delivery, etc. In 2012, he started acting but did not achieve anything because of his poor appearance. “Reply 1988” was the stepping stone that helped him get many roles in such movies like: “The King”, “A Taxi Driver”, “Believer”, “Hit and Run Squad” and “Money” etc. His 2021 drama “Lost” where he co-starred actress Jeon Do Yeon achieved great attention for its slow and dark plot, circling around themes such as depression and suicide. According to Daum, he is called “weird but charming” by the audience. His relationship with Girl’s Day’s Hyeri is supported by Asian audiences.
Sun Woo’s family
Actor Kim Sun Young (far right) plays the character of the same name. She is the youngest among the mothers in Ssangmun Dong Street. She came from a poor background, raising two children alone when her husband died. Despite the difficulties, Sun Young is still optimistic. She later remarried to Taek’s father.
Kim Sun Young is a talented actor, born in 1976 with nearly 30 years of experience. She made her mark with good-natured, humorous roles in “Monster”, “Miss Baek”, “Crash Landing on You”… In March, she appeared in “Hospital Playlist“ as a cameo.
Go Kyung Pyo plays Sun Woo, who is described as the “ideal” and “ordinary” boy in the neighborhood. He was filial to his mother, loved his sister, devoted to his friends, and polite to adults. He is the best in his class and determined in love. Sun Woo has a one-sided love with Bo Ra – Duk Sun’s older sister. Many viewers said they were moved by their love story.
He was born in 1990, and has a beautiful body with a height of 1.88 m. Go Kyung Pyo has been acting since 2010, appearing in many dramas such as “All Kinds of Jealousy”, “Chicago Typewriter”, “Cross”… He was discharged from the army in January 2020. In 2022, he will return in “Seoul Vibe”.
Taek’s family
Choi Moo Sung plays the character of the same name – the father of Go genius Choi Taek. His character is a gentle, grumpy man who gives all his love to his children after his wife’s death. The audience was touched by the scenes where he stayed up all night waiting for his son to return, always quietly being with his son when he failed…
Choi Moo Sung was born in 1968, acting since 2002. He has acted in many series such as “A Special Lady”, “Mr. Sunshine”, “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”, “Arthdal Chronicles”, ” Nokdu Flower”…
Park Bo Gum plays the Go genius Choi Taek – considered a “national treasure” of Korea. The character has an illustrious career, won many world gold medals, but is a naive and clumsy boy in everyday life. Taek has special feelings for the female lead Duk Sun but not dare to confess his love because his best friend also loves her.
Park Bo Gum is a sought-after actor in Korea today. He was born in 1993, 1.82 m tall, he is famous for his series of dramas such as “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds”, “I remember you”, “Encounter”, etc. In 2019, he ranked 18th on Forbes Korea’s list of 40 most powerful stars. According to Pann, Bo Gum was rumored to have dated Jang Nara and had an affair with Song Hye Kyo when she was married, but he denied all these rumors.’
The late artist Kim Joo Hyuk plays the role of middle-aged Choi Taek. According to the director, Joo Hyuk plays the character’s naivety and awkwardness well – similar to the young Taek played by Park Bo Gum.
Kim Joo Hyuk was born in 1972, famous for many dramas such as “Hur Jun, the Original Story”, “God of War”, “Lovers in Prague”, etc. He used to date Kim Ji Soo, Kim Guyri and unfinished plans to marry his lover, Lee Yoo Young – after a car accident on the afternoon of October 30, 2017. He passed away at the age of 45.
Dong Ryung’s family
Yoo Jae Myung plays the character of the same name, a strict teacher at school and a humorous “ajjushi” when he returns to Ssangmun Dong Street. The scenes he appeared brought laughter to the audience.
The actor was born in 1973, has played “Angel Eyes”, “Wonderful Wife”, and “Prison Playbook”... Yoo Jae Myung was mentioned with a dense frequency thanks to his role in “Itaewon Class“.
Actor Lee Dong Hwi plays Ryu Dong Ryong, who loves to sing and dance. He caused many funny situations because of his cleverness and curiosity. As an adult, he opened a restaurant.
Lee Dong Hwi was born in 1985, and is appreciated by experts for his good acting. He has acted in blockbuster movies such as “Veteran”, “The Handmaid”, “The Bros”, “Extreme Job”... The actor has been dating “Squid Game” actress – Jung Ho Yeon since 2015.
