'Reply 1988' sets ratings record

A scene from "Reply 1988" / Korea Times file

Cable channel drama “Reply 1988” has broken another record, averaging a 16 percent rating for its Saturday episode, Yonhap reported. Double-digit ratings for cable television dramas are still a rare achievement, although it is more common in TV dramas aired on networks.

The retro-drama is about five families in Ssangmun-dong, Seoul, in 1988 when Korea hosted its first Summer Olympics and was on the cusp of entering its boom days. The drama airs Fridays and Saturdays on tvN and posted its highest rating of 17.4 percent for the 14th episode.

With that feat, “Reply 1988” is becoming the most popular among the “Reply” editions - “Reply 1994” and “Reply 1997.” In the latest version, Sung Deok-sun (played by Girl’s Day’s Hye-ri) lives in Ssangmun-dong, where she and four male friends grow up before she marries one of them. Singling out the husband, whose identity is still under wraps, has been a central part of the “Reply” series.