Ryu first drew attention for his breakout performance in his debut feature film, Socialphobia in 2015, which earned him Rising star award at KAFA Film Festival and other nominations from Chunsa Film Art Awards.[10][11] Later that year, Ryu gained widespread public recognition through starring in the popular teen series Reply 1988, alongside Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, and Lee Dong-hwi.[12][13][14] His portrayal of one of the leads, Kim Jung-hwan, won him many accolades, including the Best New Actor in TV award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in 2016.[15]