Manila, Aug– The year 1988 takes center stage in Netflix’s new Korean film “Seoul Vibe,” which will be released on Aug. 26.
“Seoul Vibe,” set in 1988, tells about members of the Sanggye-dong Supreme Team who become involved in a VIP slush fund investigation when they receive an offer they can’t refuse.
Directed by Moon Hyun-sung, the film’s stars Yoo Ah-in, Go Kyung-Pyo, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Park Ju-hyun, Ong Seong-wu, Oh Jung-se, Jung Woong-in and Moon So-ri.
The stars and director of “Seoul Vibe” held a press conference on Aug. 23 to talk about the movie and their roles.
After starring in Netflix’s “Hellbound” series in 2021, Yoo Ah-in said, “I’m avidly back with ‘Seoul Vibe.'”
“‘Seoul Vibe’ is set against the time in 1988 in Seoul and it shows the passion of the youngsters at the time and there are classic cars and they conflict with the older generation. It’s very refreshing and satisfying,” he added.
Go Kyung-Pyo said, “I hope everyone can love our movie ‘Seoul Vibe’ and I hope people around the world can watch it on Netflix.”
Moon Hyun-sung, who helmed “Seoul Vibe,” said he chose 1988 as the setting for the film as the 80s were significant to Korea’s modern history. The 1988 Summer Olympics was held in Seoul.
“As you probably all know, the 1980s and 1988 in particular were the most turbulent times in modern Korean history. So there were a lot of lights and shadows at the same time. Against this backdrop I wanted to take on the concept of hip-hop music. And if I use hip-hop music in these times of 1980s, I think there could be an entertaining movie. So that’s where I started from,” the director said.
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In “Seoul Vibe,” Yoo Ah-in is Dong-wook, the top drifter; Go Kyung-pyo is John, S.P.Y DJ; Lee Kyoo-hyung is Bok-nam, the human navigation system; Park Ju-hyun is Yoon-hee, the master of disguise on a motorcycle; and Ong Seong-wu is Joon-gi, the MacGyver of Sanggye-dong.
The stars had different reasons why they chose to participate in the movie.
“First of all, I think this was a challenge for me that I have to take. And I was very curious about what this challenge ought to be. And if we have the environment to fulfill this mission, I think this would really be fun. And I was really happy to work alongside this team, this perfect ensemble so I knew I could make this work,” said Yoo Ah-in.
Go Kyung-Pyo recalled starring in the hit Korean drama “Reply 1988.”
“Because I knew Ah-in was in this movie. I was delighted to be in a film together with him. My second time working with him. And I actually lived through 1988 once through (the drama) ‘Reply 1988.’ So now I wanted to relive 1988 with this new operation,” he said.
Park Ju-hyun said, “I love the ensemble. I’m the only girl here so I wanted to try that.
“When I was reading the script for the first time, I was thrilled, I was hyped up. I was like, ‘Wow this is happening to me.’ This is like a dream come true,” said Ong Seong-wu. “So I was almost touched. And then I learned of the perfect ensemble. There was really no reason not to take part in this film. This is an amazing chance for me. And before we started filming, I just felt that I wanted to become close friends with them.”
Moon So-ri said, “This is set against 1988 and my husband actually had created a movie against 1987 so maybe I will try as the wife of this director, to try a movie against 1988. I thought it was time to take on a villain role.”
Her husband is director Jang Joon-hwan who helmed the movie “1987: When the Day Comes.”
When asked about casting actors for the movie, Moon Hyun-sung said, “I think the casting process was the process I put a lot of effort into and I had the wishlist and they were happy to join the project. So I was very, very delighted. I was touched. I felt electrified with all these people who said that wanted to be in the project.”
In “Seoul Vibe,” Yoo Ah-in plays the role of Dong-wook, who is the leader of the Sanggye-dong Supreme investigative team.
“He is quite different from who I am. He is very trend-conscious and pretentious. And he loves, like, external influence from the West,” he said.
“I call myself a S.P.Y. I’m a DJ. And I think he is a person who is critical in the Bbangkku fam,” said Go Kyung-pyo.
Ong Seong-wu said his character Joon-gi “is truly the golden youngest boy. He is very sweet, endearing, lovable like the mascot of the group. He is truly the quintessential ‘maknae’ (youngest member) of the group and he is also a genius engineer. In the mission, he has the ability to upgrade the car and he is truly a skilled mechanic.”
Moon So-ri, who is Chairwoman Kang In-sook in the movie, said, “She is in control of the secret funds of the former government. She is the one who holds true power and in the area of Gangdong, she is the queen or king of private loans.”
In making the film, Moon Hyun-sung said they researched about 1988.
“I was in elementary school back in 1988 so there are some details that I don’t recall myself so we did a lot of historical investigations and looked at reference materials. The biggest challenge that I had was how to make a unique concept and style that is unique to ‘Seoul Vibe’ but at the same time is charming and has its own appeal of the backdrop of the actual 1988. There are a lot of props that you will see in the film,” he said.
“Seoul Vibe” will be available on Netflix on Aug. 26 at www.netflix.com/SeoulVibe.
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