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An implausible love story by which a (literally) high-flying South Korean heiress inadvertently paraglides into North Korea, lands on a soldier and falls in deep love with him is among the most latest Korean drama smash hit.
Crash Landing it achieved by having a real-life North Korean defector on its writing team, as BBC Korean’s Subin Kim explains on you is in many ways a typical K-drama romance, but has been widely praised for its well-researched and nuanced portrayal of North Korea, something.
Together with broad arms and torso that is thick Kwak Moon-wan has all of the look of a bodyguard.
That is most likely because until 2004, he served utilizing the Supreme Guard Command, the elite safety force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim household.
He had been therefore trusted which he had been assigned be effective offshore too, for the North Korean trade business in Moscow that was getting much needed currency that is foreign.
Just a choose few North Koreans are permitted to operate away from nation, also to guarantee their loyalty that is continued the have actually measures set up – Kwak had to keep their spouse and son behind in North Korea.
In 2004, he had been bought to go back to Pyongyang. Throughout a stopover in Beijing, he learned one of his true buddies in Moscow had reported for their bosses in Pyongyang what he had stated in private conversation.
He knew straight away that just just what he’d said would cause trouble that is huge he got house.
During our discussion in a coffee shop in Seoul, Kwak kept glancing around to check on whom could be nearby. He speech is easy, or even dull, but Kwak would not duplicate if you ask me exactly just exactly what he stated. He would just state he had talked by what he saw while escorting users of the Kim family members in those days.
So he made a decision to defect. Alone. In which he has lived in Southern Korea without his household from the time.
“we have only one shadow if the sun pops up,” Kwak stated. “that is my entire life in Southern Korea.”
After showing up in Southern Korea, Kwak, like 1000s of North Korean defectors, started the entire process of building a life that is new. Also it took a twist that is remarkable of for Kwak to locate their means to the booming realm of Korean activity.
From defector to movie adviser
Before going into the armed forces, Kwak had invested time researching film. right Back when you look at the 1980s, the North Korean film industry had been booming, because of then frontrunner Kim Jong Il’s well-known love of the art.
At that right time, Kwak had been going to set about further training, in which he finished up being accepted to analyze movie directing in Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts.
Soon after Kwak found its way to Southern Korea, a filmmaker that is famous was focusing on a North Korea-themed film task approached Southern Korea’s spy agency asking for many advice.
Kwak had simply completed their interrogations, an element of the resettlement procedure brand new defectors get through, for which he’d discussed his movie abilities.
The agency place him in contact with the filmmaker, who offered him a working task at their movie business. Kwak accepted it straight away.
He proceeded to function being an adviser and a screenwriter on a quantity of movies and dramas, plus in 2018 a previous colleague introduced Kwak to Park Ji-eun, your head author of the drama.
She had appear with a sense of an intimate comedy having a North Korean officer and a South Korean heiress, but her shortage of intimate familiarity with north life had been a pressing concern.
Kwak joining the group kick-started the Crash Landing on You project.
Undercover spies and homeless kiddies
The show has grown to become probably one of the most effective Korean dramas of all of the time. It informs the storyline of heiress and businesswoman Yoon Se-ri and North army that is korean Ri Jeong-hyuk.
While out paragliding 1 day, Se-ri gets swept up by freak winds, and pressed within the edge into North Korea. She actually is discovered by the dashing Jeong-hyuk, whom in place of turning her in agrees to help keep her safe and help her return house. Inevitably, they fall in love.
Kwak’s intimate familiarity with just exactly just how North Korean officials run meant he had been in a position to add plot that is ingenious.
As an example, at one point, secret authorities run into Se-ri hiding in a town. Jeong-hyuk quickly pops up utilizing the line that she’s a spy with Division 11, the army product which works undercover within the Southern.
That will help explain her accent that is southern shortage of paperwork along with her appearance, and provided the character the freedom to explore the town and connect to other people, while refusing to resolve their questions regarding her life on protection grounds.
Through the show, you can find depictions of life which may be produced legitimate through the insights of somebody like Kwak.
Trains are shown suddenly stopping as a result of energy cuts, homeless young ones in the roads, and fridges used to store publications and clothing rather than meals.
Kwak also aided produce a subplot into the drama, of some other couple of star-crossed enthusiasts through the North and South, Gu Seung-joon and Search Engine Optimization.
After embezzling a massive sum of money from Se-ri’s sibling, Seung-joon continues on the run, and chooses to look for refuge in North Korea.
“North Korea may be the only destination the Interpol can not achieve,” Kwak says.
Can it be real that North Korea provides protection for desired crooks in return for a hefty sum of money? “It is definitely plausible,” Kwak states. “that is all i would ike to state.”
Praise off their defectors
Some have accused Crash Landing for you of glamorising North Korea. For instance, villagers appear to have a lot of meals – but in truth meals shortages certainly are a problem that is recurring.
However these details that are nuanced seldom seen by South Koreans, together with drama has also got other defectors excited.
Chun Hyo-jin, whom defected whenever she had been 19, stated the drama does deviate from reality but that will not dent her passion because of it. Nearly all of her family members are now actually located in the Southern, and also the drama is a topic that is weekly.
“Every time it really is on atmosphere, we call one another in the phone and speak about the drama,” Chun claims.
“It offers made the folks thinking about North Korea. It gets my buddies to inquire of me personally about North Korea and I also’m actually grateful because of it.”
Additionally it is won praise from individuals like Sokeel Park, who works together with defectors through Liberty in North Korea.
“Its depiction of numerous areas of North society that is korean obviously been completely researched, ensuing when you look at the many three-dimensional depiction of North Korean culture of every film or drama up to now,” he told the BBC.
“It is refreshing just exactly how it portrays various facets of North Korean culture without needlessly moving judgement, and shows North Koreans as complex folks who are finally relatable as well as lovable, no matter if they truly are culturally various.”
It is distinguished that North Koreans, especially the youths, are fans of K-drama too – and also as Crash Landing you accurately illustrates, plenty of South 
Korean films and dramas are smuggled into North Korea.
Kwak states he has gotn’t heard of any Korean that is north who watched the drama.
“I’m certain they’ll be really interested. It is their story. It is about them.
“And we reckon that especially North Korean guys would feel really grateful to possess a handsome man like Hyun Bin to try out one of those,” he chuckled.