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An love that is implausible by which a (literally) high-flying South Korean heiress unintentionally 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 you is in numerous ways an average K-drama love, but is widely praised for its well-researched and nuanced depiction of North Korea, one thing it attained by having a real-life North Korean defector on its writing group, as BBC Korean’s Subin Kim explains.
Along with his broad arms and thick torso, Kwak Moon-wan has most of the look of the bodyguard.
Which is probably because until 2004, he served utilizing the Supreme Guard Command, the elite protection force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim household.
He had been therefore trusted which he ended up being assigned to operate offshore too, for the North Korean trade business in Moscow that was getting much needed foreign exchange.
Merely a choose few North Koreans are allowed to the office outside of the nation, also to make sure their continued loyalty the leaders have measures in position – Kwak needed to keep their spouse and son behind in North Korea.
In 2004, he had been bought to come back to Pyongyang. Within a stopover in Beijing, he learned one of is own friends in Moscow had reported with their bosses in Pyongyang what he had said in personal discussion.
He knew straight away that exactly what he’d stated would cause huge difficulty whenever he got house.
During our discussion in a restaurant in Seoul, Kwak kept glancing around to check on whom may be nearby. He speech is easy, or even dull, but Kwak would not duplicate if you ask me just what he said. He would just say he had talked in what he saw while escorting people of the Kim family members in the past.
So he made a decision to defect. Alone. In which he has resided in South Korea without his household from the time.
“we just have actually one shadow if the sunlight pops up,” Kwak stated. “which is my entire life in South Korea.”
After showing up in Southern Korea, Qwikmeet Kwak, like tens and thousands of North Korean defectors, started the entire process of developing a life that is new. Plus it took an extraordinary twist of fate for Kwak to get his method to the booming realm of Korean activity.
From defector to movie adviser
Before going into the armed forces, Kwak had spent time researching movie. straight Back within the 1980s, the North film that is korean ended up being booming, because of then frontrunner Kim Jong Il’s well-known passion for the art.
At that time, Kwak ended up being planning to set about further training, in which he wound up being accepted to analyze movie directing in Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts.
Right after Kwak found its way to Southern Korea, a filmmaker that is famous ended up being working on a North Korea-themed film task approached Southern Korea’s spy agency asking for many advice.
Kwak had simply completed his interrogations, the main resettlement procedure defectors that are new through, for which he’d discussed his movie abilities.
The agency place him in contact with the filmmaker, whom offered him task at their movie business. Kwak accepted it straight away.
He proceeded to get results as an adviser and a screenwriter on an amount of movies and dramas, as well as in 2018 a previous colleague introduced Kwak to Park Ji-eun, your head author of the drama.
She had show up with an idea 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 united group kick-started the Crash Landing on You project.
Undercover spies and homeless kids
The series is now probably the most effective dramas that is korean of 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 trapped by freak winds, and pressed throughout the edge into North Korea. She actually is discovered by the Jeong-hyuk that is dashing in the 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 exactly just how North Korean officials run meant he had been in a position to add innovative plot products.
For instance, at one point, secret authorities run into Se-ri hiding in a town. Jeong-hyuk quickly pops up using the line that she actually is a spy with Division 11, the unit that is military works undercover into the Southern.
That can help explain her accent that is southern shortage of documents and her appearance, and offered the character the freedom to explore the town and communicate with others, while refusing to respond to their questions regarding her life on safety grounds.
Through the entire show, you will find depictions of life that could be produced legitimate through the insights of somebody like Kwak.
Trains are shown suddenly stopping as a result of energy cuts, homeless kids in the roads, and fridges used to store publications and clothing in the place of meals.
Kwak additionally aided create a subplot within the drama, of some other set of star-crossed fans through the North and Southern, Gu Seung-joon and Search Engine Optimization.
After embezzling a giant sum of money from Se-ri’s cousin, Seung-joon continues on the run, and chooses to seek refuge in North Korea.
“North Korea may be the place that is only Interpol can not achieve,” Kwak says.
Will it be correct that North Korea provides protection for desired crooks in return for an amount that is hefty of? “It is definitely plausible,” Kwak says. “that is all i would ike to say.”
Praise off their defectors
Some have actually accused Crash Landing for you of glamorising North Korea. As an example, villagers appear to have a good amount of meals – however in truth meals shortages are a recurring issue.
However these details that are nuanced hardly ever seen by South Koreans, additionally the drama has also got other defectors excited.
Chun Hyo-jin, whom defected when she had been 19, stated the drama does deviate from reality but that doesn’t dent her passion for this. Nearly all of her household are now actually located in the Southern, together with drama is now a topic that is weekly.
“Every time it is on atmosphere, we call one another regarding the phone and speak about the drama,” Chun claims.
“It offers made the folks enthusiastic about North Korea. It gets my buddies to inquire about me personally about North Korea and I also’m actually grateful because of it.”
Additionally it is won praise from individuals like Sokeel Park, whom works together with defectors through Liberty in North Korea.
“Its depiction of numerous areas of North society that is korean demonstrably been completely investigated, resulting when you look at the many three-dimensional depiction of North Korean culture of any movie or drama up to now,” he told the BBC.
“It is refreshing exactly exactly how it portrays various areas of North Korean culture without unnecessarily moving judgement, and shows North Koreans as complex individuals who are eventually relatable and also lovable, regardless if these are typically culturally different.”
It is distinguished that North Koreans, especially the kiddies, are fans of K-drama too – so that as Crash Landing for you accurately depicts, lots of South Korean films and dramas are smuggled into North Korea.
Kwak claims he’s gotn’t heard about any North Korean who has got watched the drama.
“I’m certain they’ll certainly be really interested. It really is their tale. It is about them.
“And we reckon that especially North Korean guys would feel extremely grateful to possess a handsome man like Hyun Bin to relax and play one of these,” he chuckled.