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An implausible love tale for 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 just about the 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.

Along with his broad arms and dense torso, Kwak Moon-wan has all of the look of the bodyguard.

That is most likely because until 2004, he served with all the Supreme Guard Command, the elite security force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim family members.

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

Merely a choose few North Koreans are allowed to function outside of the country, also to make sure their continued loyalty the leaders have actually measures set up – 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 his true buddies in Moscow had reported for their bosses in Pyongyang what he had stated in personal discussion.

He knew instantly that exactly just what he’d stated would cause huge difficulty when he got house.

During our discussion in a cafe in Seoul, Kwak kept glancing around to check on whom may be nearby. He speech is straightforward, if not dull, but Kwak would not duplicate in my experience just exactly what he stated. He’d just state he had talked in what he saw while escorting people in the Kim family members in the past.

So he made a decision to defect. Alone. In which he has lived in Southern Korea without their family members from the time.

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

After showing up in Southern Korea, Kwak, like tens and thousands of North Korean defectors, started the process of creating a life that is new. Plus it took a twist that is remarkable of for Kwak to locate their method in to the booming realm of Korean activity.

From defector to movie adviser

Before going into the army, Kwak had invested time studying movie. straight Back when you look at the 1980s, the North film that is korean had been booming, because of then frontrunner Kim Jong Il’s well-known love of the art.

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

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

Kwak had simply finished their interrogations, the main resettlement procedure brand new defectors get through, for which he’d discussed his film abilities.

The agency place him in contact with the filmmaker, whom offered him a working task at their movie business. Kwak accepted it straight away.

He continued 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, the top composer of the drama.

She had show up with an idea of a intimate comedy featuring a North Korean officer and a South Korean heiress, but her absence of intimate familiarity with north life was a pressing concern.

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

Undercover spies and homeless young ones

The show is actually 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 Korean military captain Ri Jeong-hyuk.

While out paragliding 1 day, Se-ri gets swept up by freak winds, and pressed on the edge into North Korea. She actually is discovered by the Jeong-hyuk that is dashing rather than turning her in agrees to help keep her safe and help her get back house. Inevitably, they fall in love.

Kwak’s intimate familiarity with just exactly 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 arises because of the line that she actually is a spy with Division 11, the armed forces device which works undercover into the Southern.

That will help explain her accent that is southern shortage of paperwork and her appearance, and provided the type the freedom to explore the village and communicate with other people, while refusing to resolve their questions regarding her life on safety grounds.

For the show, you can 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 young ones in the roads, and fridges used to store publications and garments as opposed to meals.

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

After embezzling an enormous sum of money from Se-ri’s cousin, Seung-joon continues on the run, and chooses to look for refuge in North Korea.

“North Korea could be the place that is only Interpol can not reach,” Kwak says.

Could 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 actually accused Crash Landing for you of glamorising North Korea. For instance, villagers appear to have a good amount of meals – however in truth meals shortages certainly are a recurring issue.

However these details that are nuanced seldom seen by South Koreans, additionally the drama has also got other defectors excited.

Chun Hyo-jin, who defected when she had been 19, stated the drama does deviate from reality OlderWomenDating dating but that will not dent her passion for this. The majority of her family members are now actually residing in the Southern, as well as the drama is now a topic that is weekly.

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

“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.”

It is also won praise from individuals like Sokeel Park, whom works together defectors through Liberty in North Korea.

“Its depiction of varied facets of North society that is korean obviously been completely investigated, ensuing when you look at the many three-dimensional depiction of North Korean culture of any film or drama up to now,” he told the BBC.

“It is refreshing exactly exactly just how it portrays different facets of North society that is korean needlessly moving judgement, and shows North Koreans as complex people that are fundamentally relatable and also lovable, even though they truly are culturally various.”

It is distinguished that North Koreans, especially the children, are fans of K-drama too – and also as Crash Landing for you accurately illustrates, lots of South Korean films and dramas are smuggled into North Korea.

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

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

“And we reckon that especially North Korean guys would feel extremely grateful to own a handsome man like Hyun Bin to relax and play one of these,” he chuckled.