Do Dae-yoon and Kim Ye-rim to appear together as Togeworl on 'Happy Together' after 15 years

Do Dae-yoon and Kim Ye-rim of the mixed-gender duo Togeworl are set to share the screen again, putting a long period of absence behind them and performing together on television once more. Their joint broadcast appearance comes about 15 years after the 2011 audition program that first brought them into the public eye, drawing attention to a reunion shaped by a halted group career, separate paths and Do's personal hardships.

The production team behind KBS 2TV's new variety program 'Happy Together - I Like That I'm Not Alone' released a video featuring Togeworl through the show's official channel on July 2. In the clip, Do Dae-yoon and Kim Ye-rim stand side by side, embrace each other, make finger-heart gestures and pose with their hands framing their faces. A caption reading that Togeworl felt 'slightly awkward after meeting for the first time in 10 years' underscored the symbolic meaning of the pair's reunion.

Togeworl first attracted broad public attention in 2011 when the duo finished in third place on 'Superstar K3,' an audition program, and then made their official debut in 2012. The team effectively came to a stop the following year when Do Dae-yoon suspended his activities. Kim Ye-rim later shifted direction as the solo artist Lim Kim, building an independent musical identity of her own.

The two performers had already hinted at the possibility of a reunion by presenting a joint stage at the 2024 Seoul Jazz Festival, but this will be their first appearance together on a television program since the audition show. The occasion carries added significance because they will also meet Yoon Jong-shin again. Yoon was one of the judges during their audition-program days and later served as the head of the agency that represented them.

After stepping away from entertainment activities, Do Dae-yoon continued his studies in the United States. In 2019, he worked at Samsung Electronics as a field test engineer. He later appeared in 2021 on the YouTube channel 'Geunhwang Olympics,' where he said he had stopped working in entertainment because of bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, and expressed his desire to resume making music.

In 2024, Do appeared on 'Ask Anything Fortune Tellers' and spoke more openly about the psychological strain he experienced during his period of sudden popularity and excessive scheduling. He recalled, 'There were so many events that I always felt like I was being dragged around.' He also candidly discussed being hospitalized for about two months at a psychiatric medical institution at his family's recommendation, as well as the process by which his symptoms worsened afterward. Do explained that his decision to study in the United States was also influenced by health issues and psychological difficulties.

KBS 2TV's 'Happy Together - I Like That I'm Not Alone,' hosted by Yoo Jae-suk, Jang Hang-jun and Yoon Jong-shin, is an audition-format variety program that tells a range of life stories through music. The show is scheduled to premiere on July 10 at 8:30 p.m. In this episode, a key point of interest is expected to be Togeworl's reunion after many years and the musical chemistry the duo will show as they stand on the same stage again.