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An implausible love story 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 means a normal K-drama love, but happens to be commonly praised because of its well-researched and nuanced depiction of North Korea, one thing it accomplished by having a real-life North Korean defector on its writing group, as BBC Korean’s Subin Kim describes.

Together with broad shoulders 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 protection force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim household.

He had been therefore trusted which he ended up being assigned be effective offshore too, for a North Korean trade business in Moscow that was getting much needed currency that is foreign.

Merely a choose few North Koreans are allowed to exert effort beyond your nation, and also to make sure their continued loyalty the leaders have actually measures in position – Kwak needed to keep his spouse and son behind in North Korea.

In 2004, he had been bought to come 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 personal discussion.

He knew straight away that exactly exactly 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 could be nearby. He speech is easy, or even dull, but Kwak would not duplicate in my opinion just just just what he said. He’d just state he had talked by what he saw while escorting users of the Kim family members in those days.

So he chose to defect. Alone. In which he has resided in Southern Korea without their family members from the time.

«we just have actually one shadow as soon as the sunlight pops up,» Kwak stated. «which is my entire life in Southern Korea.»

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

From defector to movie adviser

Before going into the army, Kwak had invested time studying movie. Back when you look at 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 right time, Kwak ended up being about to set about further training, and then he finished up being accepted to examine movie directing in Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts.

Soon after Kwak found its way to South Korea, a filmmaker that is famous ended up being focusing on a North Korea-themed film task approached South Korea’s spy agency asking for many advice.

Kwak had simply completed their interrogations, the main resettlement procedure brand new defectors get through, by which he’d discussed their movie abilities.

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

He proceeded to function being an adviser and a screenwriter on lots of movies and dramas, as well as in 2018 a colleague that is former Kwak to Park Ji-eun, your head composer 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 ended up being 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 is becoming 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 swept up by freak winds, and pressed on the edge into North Korea. She actually is discovered because of the dashing Jeong-hyuk, whom in place of turning her in agrees to help keep her safe and help her get back home. 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 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 this woman 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 provided the character the freedom to explore the town and communicate with other people, while refusing to respond to their questions regarding her life on protection grounds.

Through the entire show, you will find depictions of life that could be produced legitimate through the insights of hookupdate.net/pl/randki-wideo/ somebody like Kwak.

Trains are shown suddenly stopping due to energy cuts, homeless kiddies from the roads, and fridges used to store books and garments in place of meals.

Kwak additionally aided produce a subplot when you look at the drama, of some other set of star-crossed enthusiasts from the North and Southern, Gu Seung-joon and Search Engine Optimization.

After embezzling a massive amount of cash 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 place that is only 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 should indeed be plausible,» Kwak claims. «which is all i would ike to say.»

Praise from other defectors

Some have actually accused Crash Landing for you of glamorising North Korea. For instance, villagers appear to have an abundance of food – however in truth meals shortages certainly are a problem that is recurring.

However these nuanced details are hardly ever seen by South Koreans, plus the drama has also got other defectors excited.

Chun Hyo-jin, whom defected whenever she ended up being 19, said 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, plus the drama is now 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 states.

«It offers made the folks enthusiastic about North Korea. It gets my buddies to inquire about me about North Korea and I also’m actually grateful for this.»

Additionally it is won praise from individuals like Sokeel Park, who works together defectors through Liberty in North Korea.

«Its depiction of varied components of North society that is korean demonstrably been completely investigated, resulting in the many three-dimensional depiction of North Korean society of any movie 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 folks who are finally relatable as well as lovable, whether or not they truly are culturally various.»

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

Kwak states he has gotn’t been aware of any North Korean who has got watched the drama.

«I am sure they’ll be extremely interested. It really is their tale. It is about them.

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