Sung Dong-il of 'Reply 1988' reflects on past as father born out of wedlock

Sung Dong-il from 'Reply 1988' / Courtesy of tvN

Actor Sung Dong-il looked back on his past, revealing his regrets about not expressing his emotions properly to his children.

On the Saturday broadcast of the JTBC show "Before It's Too Late: ShalaShala," Sung shared stories about his family.

"I was born out of wedlock and later had children of my own," he said. "Since I have no memories with my father, I didn't know how to play with my kids."

Sung continued, "My wife once worried, 'Since he doesn't understand the father-child relationship, what if he treats his children the way his father treated him?' So, I was always mindful of that. But, unknowingly, my awkwardness still came through."

He explained that he struggled to figure out how to interact with and comfort his children.

"My son, Joon, once told me, 'Dad, you were really scary,'" Sung said. "Nowadays, I feel really sorry for that. As I try to change now, I even have to adjust my way of speaking. I regret not expressing myself a little earlier."

Meanwhile, "Before It's Too Late: ShalaShala" airs every Saturday at 7:10 p.m.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.