Park Bo-gum and Kim You-jung reunite in hanbok for 'Love in the Moonlight' 10th anniversary

Park Bo-gum, Kim You-jung, Jinyoung, Chae Soo-bin, and Kwak Dong-yeon have gathered once again to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the drama 'Love in the Moonlight'. The five actors, who captured the hearts of viewers 10 years ago with their youthful faces, stood before the camera once more wearing *hanbok* to look back on the time that has passed.

Broadcast in 2016, the KBS2 drama 'Love in the Moonlight' centered on the love between Crown Prince Lee Young and Hong Ra-on against the backdrop of the Joseon Dynasty, while also depicting youthful growth and political conflict. By actively utilizing Korean spaces, including beautiful *hanbok* and royal palaces, it presented a new sensibility for historical dramas of that time and gained immense popularity centered on the romance between Park Bo-gum and Kim You-jung.

In the 10 years that have passed, the cultural environment surrounding the work has also changed significantly. While domestic viewership ratings and buzz were the key indicators of a drama's success back then, K-dramas have now expanded into content consumed across borders through global OTT platforms. Even amidst such changes, 'Love in the Moonlight' is still remembered as a representative work for the actors and a piece that symbolizes the youth of an era.

Park, who was beloved as Crown Prince Lee Young, reminisced about the reunion, saying, "Everyone looks exactly as they did when we first met. I am truly happy to be able to wear *hanbok* again and capture our current selves." He added, "Even back then, whenever we gathered, the laughter never stopped."

He also expressed special affection for the meaning of the work. "I was happy to be able to act while wearing beautiful traditional *hanbok* amidst landscapes that fully capture the essence of Korea," he said, citing the experience of playing Crown Prince Hyomyeong—who was not only skilled in politics but also possessed exceptional artistic talents in literature, music, and dance—as a special memory.

In particular, Park remarked, "It is an honor as an actor that even after 10 years, people still remember the names of the characters in the work." This highlights that the character of Lee Young holds continuous meaning in his acting career beyond being just a role in a single production.

He continued, "In the drama, there is a line from Ra-on: 'Who knows if the memory of being loved will become the strength to live a lifetime?' Thanks to your love for Lee Young, I have been able to walk this path with that strength until now." He sent a warm message to his colleagues, saying, "Thanks to you, my youth, our youth, could shine beautifully. May we all always shine brightly like moonlight."

Kim, who played Hong Ra-on at the age of seventeen at the time, also expressed deep affection for the work. She recalled, "The name 'Ra-on' itself is a pure Korean word meaning 'joyful.' She was a character who shared warm affection with people, and the emotions I felt through Ra-on were also a warm affection stemming from deep within."

She cited internal growth as the biggest change over the past 10 years. Kim stated, "I have gained complete strength. I have gained the courage to face difficult situations more proactively and the courage to willingly move forward."

She also left a message for her younger self from 10 years ago. Recalling the words her mother told her, "If you endure, you will be in that place," she explained that enduring does not necessarily mean only surviving painful times. She emphasized the importance of living one's own time by doing what needs to be done, whether times are joyful or difficult.

Jinyoung cited "the love for people" as something he does not want to lose even as time passes. "I love people, and it is joyful to spend time together, do things together, and share things," he said. "If I were to dislike that one day, I think I would be very sad."

To his colleagues of 10 years, he said, "Let's go for a long, long time." He noted that while they first met through the work, maintaining a relationship where they contact each other and share their respective lives for 10 years was not an easy feat, adding, "I am happy that we actually pulled it off."

Chae, who played Jo Ha-yeon—a character who chose her own life in the face of love—revealed that she is actually gaining courage from the character after time has passed. She recalled the character, saying, "Ha-yeon was not someone who stayed stuck just because she wasn't loved. She was a confident woman who could choose her own life and move forward."

She said she wants to tell her younger self from 10 years ago, "You are doing well, you will do well, and live well." She added that she felt she was always anxious even while working hard back then, saying, "Since it's nothing once it has passed, I just want to tell myself that I am doing well."

Kwak, who recently began his military service, told his 20-year-old self who had been running so fiercely, "Don't be intimidated." He recalled how acting every scene as if it were the last in his life at that time had actually placed excessive pressure on him.

He reflected on the past, noting, "If I had been more confident, I could have shown more diverse sides of myself." He sent a lighthearted message of support to his colleagues, saying, "I'll be steadily guarding the country until early 2028, so don't worry and feel free to pursue your respective dreams.""

The 10th-anniversary reunion of 'Love in the Moonlight' is special not just because the cast of a popular drama gathered again. It is meaningful because the actors, who were around 17 and 20 years old, played their youth in the drama and actually lived through that period together in real life.

The five people who stood before the camera 10 years ago have now grown as actors and creators in their own ways. Nevertheless, the moment they put on *hanbok* again, their past characters and their current selves overlap. Even after the drama ended, their relationships and memories did not fade over time; instead, they acquired new meaning through the years.

Ultimately, the most enduring scene left by 'Love in the Moonlight' is not just the palace or the romance. It is the moment when the five youths who met through one work meet again after living their own lives for 10 years, looking at both their past and present selves simultaneously. That is the most special narrative that 10 years of time has layered onto a single drama.