"2 Days & 1 Night" Cast Remembers Kim Joo Hyuk With Heartwarming Stories And Tears

Oct 28, 2018

On the latest episode of KBS 2TV’s “2 Days & 1 Night,” the cast tearfully paid their respects to their late friend and colleague Kim Joo Hyuk.

During the October 28 broadcast, the members competed in a friendly cooking competition using octopus from Muan County and pork from Yangsan. Cha Tae Hyun’s team was the winner with a score of 17 to 3, and they won the reward of sleeping indoors. Kim Jun Ho’s sous-chef, who had run a food truck for 10 years, commented, “I thought that we’d lose even if the rice turned out well.”

After the competition, the staff led the members to a cafe decorated with photos of Kim Joo Hyuk. The cast members remarked somberly, “It’s already the anniversary of his death.” They then reminisced about their beloved fellow cast member, who passed away in a car accident on October 30 of last year.

Looking at the photos, the cast members recalled, “During the first episode, we asked each other what we should do.” They added, “Do you remember our first birthday party?” and remembered the episode that gave birth to Kim Joo Hyuk’s nickname “Goo Teng hyung.”

The members were calm until they heard Kim Joo Hyuk’s voice say, “Hey, [younger] brothers. Have you been well? It’s me, Joo Hyuk. I miss you.”

As they shed tears, producing director (PD) Yoo Il Yong explained, “We prepared pork ribs from Yangsan and octopus skewers from Muan because Kim Joo Hyuk liked them. I want to look back on the happy memories we made together with Kim Joo Hyuk on ‘2 Days & 1 night.'”

The cast members replied, “To be honest, we caught on while eating the meat. It was a food dish that Kim Joo Hyuk really loved.”

The cast was then joined by Kim Joo Hyuk’s close friends Jung Ki Jin and Han Jung Soo. Jung Ki Jin said, “I’m Kim Joo Hyuk’s closest friend Jung Ki Jin. I taught him skills for the practical exam when he was entering college.” Han Jung Soo added, “I’m his neighborhood friend Han Jung Soo. We were the same age, and both of us couldn’t drink, but we liked to have fun together. He was a friend, but also a strong pillar of support.”

Actor Bong Tae Gyu and Kim Jong Do, the head of Kim Joo Hyuk’s agency, also shared their thoughts in a special video message. Kim Jong Do commented, “It’s been 20 years since we began [working] together.” Bong Tae Gyu, who starred together with Kim Joo Hyuk in the film “When Romance Meets Destiny,” said, “He was like a real older brother. Throughout filming, he felt like a real older brother.”

Kim Sung Hoon, the director of Kim Joo Hyuk’s 2017 film “Confidential Assignment,” said, “Kim Joo Hyuk expressed his affection for the staff by saying, ‘It is because of all our passions gathered together that we are able to act and have such good teamwork. So I love each and every [staff member].'”

PD Yoo Ho Jin, who recruited Kim Joo Hyuk for “2 Days & 1 Night,” talked about why the actor had initially joined the variety show. He recalled, “Kim Joo Hyuk told me, ‘I’m introverted, so I would like to have opportunities to go outside. I want to go on a trip.’ He said he hoped to make friends.”

Students from Kim Joo Hyuk’s alma mater who met him through the show remarked, “It felt natural, as if we had always known each other as junior and senior alumni. It was more amazing because it didn’t feel especially out of the ordinary.”

Jung Ki Jin continued, “Kim Joo Hyuk was a really kind person. The first celebrity friends that he introduced to me were the ‘2 Days & 1 Night’ cast.” Han Jung Soo added, “I even became jealous at one point. Before he joined ‘2 Days & 1 Night,’ he used to only hang out with me, but one day, he started hanging out with the ‘2 Days & 1 Night’ members [instead].”

The “2 Days & 1 Night” cast members also shared their memories of Kim Joo Hyuk. Defconn began, “On his first day [of filming], I could see that he felt awkward. He gave me the feeling that I should be good to him.” Kim Joon Ho recalled, “He called me a month after he left the show and kept talking about Defconn. He told me repeatedly, ‘Defconn is a lonely kid. You have to be good to him. Call him frequently.'”

The cast also talked about how Jung Joon Young and Kim Jong Min were like special younger brothers to Kim Joo Hyuk. PD Yoo Ho Jin said, “Jung Joon Young made fun of [Kim] Joo Hyuk a lot on air, but he did it even more outside of work. Jung Joon Young really liked Kim Joo Hyuk and followed him around a lot.” Kim Jong Do added, “Kim Joo Hyuk told me, ‘Kim Jong Min isn’t an idiot. I really like that he’s sincere to me.'” Kim Joon Ho said, “When we went to visit Kim Jong Min’s father’s grave, Kim Joo Hyuk told [his father] that Kim Jong Min is living well. When I saw that, I thought that he really is like our eldest brother.”

Kim Jong Do and PD Yoo Ho Jin continued, “Kim Joo Hyuk said many times, ‘I have a lot to learn from Cha Tae Hyun.’ He would say, ‘Ask Cha Tae Hyun [for his opinion].’ [Cha Tae Hyun] was like the second oldest brother that [Kim Joo Hyuk] could depend on. I think they had a special relationship.”

Yoon Shi Yoon, who joined “2 Days & 1 Night” after Kim Joo Hyuk’s departure, mentioned a conversation he’d had with the late actor about the show.” He recalled, “Outside of work, [Kim Joo Hyuk] asked me, ‘Don’t the two weeks go by really quickly?’ and I sympathized with that a lot.”

The members also talked about Kim Joo Hyuk’s acting projects after leaving “2 Days & 1 Night.” Cha Tae Hyun commented, “I was watching ‘Believer,’ and even though it’s not a sad movie, I started crying. No matter how much an actor acts, his true self shows through [in his acting]. When I saw him in his role, it made me cry a lot. Seeing the projects in which he appeared after leaving ‘2 Days & 1 Night,’ I thought, ‘He was really patient.'”

Thinking back to Kim Joo Hyuk’s first day on the show, Yoo Ho Jin PD said, “We surprised him on the first day, so I thought he’d say later on, ‘Let’s not do things like this from now on.’ But at some point, he was the one to take the water spray, and he kept trying to do more [for the show]. Seeing that, I thought that he was truly a mischievous person.”

Jung Joon Young shared, “At first, riding alone with him in a car was really uncomfortable.” He also recalled with a smile, “In the beginning, he told me that he was stressed out because he kept thinking, ‘What if people don’t recognize me?'” Cha Tae Hyun added, “At first, when they said that Kim Joo Hyuk was joining, I thought, ‘He’s coming?’ I worried a lot too [about whether he’d fit the show]. But he became silly on his own.”

Defconn stated, “Even if it’s only the first anniversary of his death, I want to do something for him. I think that remembering Kim Joo Hyuk and talking about him is our way of honoring him.” Pointing to his hat, PD Yoo Il Yong revealed, “This is the hat he wore. I’ve been wearing this hat all year long. I bet he’ll hope for us to smile and remember him. I hope that we can remember him as fun guy and a good person.”

On the next day, the members and Kim Joo Hyuk’s close friends packed his favorite foods and visited his grave. The members were moved by seeing that fans had visited his grave and left flowers. After laying out the food, they said, “We came back after a year.” Kim Joon Ho added, “I think he’d prefer for us to say funny things,” and he went on to do an impersonation of Lee Joo Il, one of Kim Joo Hyuk’s favorite comedians.

Jung Ki Jin cried as he said, “I think I know why you liked the people on ‘2 Days & 1 Night.’ Please watch over all of these people so that things go well for them.”

The members then attended a special film screening event prepared by the staff of “2 Days & 1 Night” in remembrance of Kim Joo Hyuk.