Crash Landing you: The defector whom brought North-South Korean love to life

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An love that is implausible for which a (literally) high-flying South Korean heiress inadvertently paraglides into North Korea, lands on a soldier and falls deeply in love with him is just about the latest Korean drama smash hit.

Crash Landing you is in numerous ways a typical K-drama love, but happens to be commonly praised because of its well-researched and nuanced depiction of North Korea, something it attained by having a real-life North Korean defector on its writing group, as BBC Korean’s Subin Kim describes.

Together with his 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 aided by the Supreme Guard Command, the elite safety force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim family members.

He had been therefore trusted which he had been assigned to the office offshore too, for a North Korean trade business in Moscow that was getting much needed currency that is foreign.

Just a choose few North Koreans are allowed to operate outside of the nation, also to guarantee their continued loyalty the leaders have measures in position – Kwak had to keep their spouse and son behind in North Korea.

In 2004, he had been purchased to come back to Pyongyang. During a stopover in Beijing, he discovered one of is own buddies in Moscow had reported with their bosses in Pyongyang what he had stated in personal conversation.

He knew instantly that just just what he’d stated would cause trouble that is huge 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 exactly exactly what he said. He would just state he had talked in what he saw while escorting people in the Kim household in those days.

So he chose to defect. Alone. And then he has resided in Southern Korea without their household from the time.

“I just have actually one shadow as soon as the sunlight pops up,” Kwak stated. “that is my entire life in Southern Korea.”

After showing up in Southern Korea, Kwak, like large number of North Korean defectors, started the entire process of creating a life that is new. Also it took a remarkable twist of fate for Kwak to locate their method in to the booming realm of Korean activity.

From defector to film adviser

Before going into the army, Kwak had invested time researching film. Straight Back when you look at the 1980s, the North Korean movie industry had been booming, because of then frontrunner Kim Jong Il’s well-known passion for the art.

At that right time, Kwak had been planning to attempt further training, in which he wound up being accepted to examine movie directing in Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts.

Right after Kwak found its way to Southern Korea, a filmmaker that is famous had been focusing on a North Korea-themed film task approached South Korea’s spy agency asking for a few advice.

Kwak had simply completed their interrogations, area of the resettlement procedure new defectors get through, by which he’d discussed their 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 exert effort being an adviser and a screenwriter on a wide range 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 a sense of an intimate comedy having a North Korean officer and a South Korean heiress, but her absence of intimate understanding of north life had been a pressing concern.

Kwak joining the united group kick-started the Crash Landing on You project.

Undercover spies and children that are homeless

The show has grown to become perhaps one of the most effective dramas that is korean of time. It informs the tale of heiress and businesswoman Yoon Se-ri and North army that is korean Ri Jeong-hyuk.

While out paragliding one day, Se-ri gets swept up by freak winds, and forced on the edge into North Korea. This woman is discovered by the dashing Jeong-hyuk, whom as opposed to turning her in agrees to help keep her safe and help her get back house. Inevitably, they fall in love.

Kwak’s intimate understanding of just how North Korean officials operate meant he had been in a position to add innovative plot products.

As an example, at one point, secret police run into Se-ri hiding in a town. Jeong-hyuk quickly pops up with all the line that this woman is a spy with Division 11, the unit that is military works undercover into the South.

That can help explain her accent that is southern absence of paperwork and her appearance, and provided the smoothness the freedom to explore the town and interact with others, while refusing to resolve their questions regarding her life on protection grounds.

Through the entire show, you can find depictions of life which may be produced credible through the insights of somebody like Kwak.

Trains are shown suddenly stopping as a result of energy cuts, homeless young ones regarding the roads, and fridges used to store publications and garments instead of meals.

Kwak additionally aided develop a subplot within the drama, of some other set of star-crossed enthusiasts through the North and Southern, Gu Seung-joon and Search Engine Optimization.

After embezzling an amount that is huge of from Se-ri’s bro, 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.

Could it be real that North Korea provides protection for desired crooks in return for a hefty amount of cash? “It is definitely plausible,” Kwak claims. “which is all i would ike to state.”

Praise off their defectors

Some have actually accused Crash Landing for you of glamorising North Korea. As an example, villagers appear to have lots of meals – however in truth meals shortages certainly are a recurring issue.

However these nuanced details are seldom seen by South Koreans, additionally the 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. The majority of her family members are actually surviving in the Southern, plus the drama is becoming a topic that is weekly.

“Every time it is on atmosphere, we call one another on the phone and speak about the drama,” Chun claims.

“It offers made the individuals thinking about North Korea. It gets my friends to inquire of me about North Korea and I also’m actually grateful because of it.”

It is also won praise from people like Sokeel Park, whom works closely with defectors through Liberty in North Korea.

“Its depiction of numerous facets of North Korean culture have actually demonstrably been completely investigated, ensuing when you look at the many three-dimensional depiction of North Korean culture of every movie or drama up to now,” he told the BBC.

“It is refreshing just exactly just how it portrays different components of North society that is korean needlessly moving judgement, and shows North Koreans as complex those who are finally relatable and also lovable, even though they’re culturally various.”

It is distinguished that North Koreans, especially the youths, are fans of K-drama too – so when Crash Landing for you accurately illustrates, a lot of South Korean films and dramas are smuggled into North Korea.

Kwak states he’s gotn’t heard about any Korean that is north who watched the drama.

“I’m yes they’ll be extremely interested. It is their tale. It is about them.

“And we reckon that especially North Korean males would feel really grateful to own a handsome man like Hyun Bin to try out one of these,” he chuckled.