The Elite

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The drama revolves around the unlikely love between a South Korean heiress and a North Korean officer

A far-fetched Love Story , the paraglides in North Korea , lands a (literally) the flight of The South Korean heiress accidentally click on a soldier and falls in love with him, smash the latest Korean drama hit.

crash-landing on you is in many ways a typical K-drama romance, But was widely praised for its well-researched and nuanced portrayal of North Korea , something it achieved by a real-life North Korean defectors on its team of authors, such as BBC Korean Subin Kim explains.

With his broad shoulders and thick torso, Kwak moon-wan has all the appearance of a bodyguard.

This is probably because, until 2004, he was with the Supreme guard command, The Elite security force, the North Korean ruling Kim family protects.

He was so trustworthy that he was commissioned to work overseas, even for a North Korean trading companies in Moscow, which was urgently needed foreign exchange.

Only a select few North Koreans are allowed to work outside the country, and to ensure that your loyalty rewarded was the leader measures - Kwak, to leave his wife and son behind in North Korea .

Kwak moon-wan studied film-directing in Pyongyang

In 2004, he ordered the return to Pyongyang. During a stopover in Beijing, reported he found one of his friends in Moscow had had the bosses in Pyongyang, what he said in a private conversation.

He knew immediately that what he had said, would result in huge trouble if he came home.

During our conversation in a Café in Seoul, Kwak stopped, looking around to check that may be in the vicinity. He was talking about simple, if not blunt, But Kwak would not repeat to me what he said. He would only say that he had spoken of what he saw while accompanying the members of the Kim family, then back.

So he decided to defect. Alone. And he has been living in South Korea , without His Family ever since.

"I only said a shadow, when The Sun rises," Kwak. "This is My Life in South Korea . "

After arriving in South Korea , Kwak, like thousands of North Korean defectors, began The Process of building a new life. And it has a remarkable twist of fate for Kwak to make His Way in the booming world of Korean entertainment.

Of the defector movie-adviser

Before entering the military, Kwak time they had spent to learn about the film. Back in the 1980s in the North Korean film industry because the then leader, Kim Jong -Il, the well-known love of art was booming,.

at the time, Kwak was on and embark on a further training, and he ended up as the study assumed, the film-Director in Pyongyang University of Dramatic and cinematic art.

Despite all the cultural differences, the two can not ask help falling in love

approached Shortly After Kwak of Korea , a well-known film-maker came in The South , worked on a North Korea -themed film project, The South Korean secret service, for some advice.

Kwak had just gone through his interrogations, part of the reintegration process, new defector, in which he spoke'd on his movie skills.

The Agency put him In Touch with the filmmaker who offered him a job in his film company. Kwak accepted it immediately.

He went to work as a consultant and screenwriter on A Number of films and dramas, and in 2018 a former colleague introduced Kwak, Park Ji-eun, The Head writer of the drama.

she had come up with an idea for a Romantic Comedy with a North Korean officer and a South Korean heiress, But her lack of intimate knowledge of Northern Life was a priority.

Kwak, to join The Team kick-started projecting The Crash -landing on you.

Undercover spies and homeless children

The series has become one of The Most successful Korean dramas of all time It is the story of the heiress and business woman Yoon Se-ri and North Korean army captain Ri Jeong-hyuk told.

While paragliding One Day , Se-ri, caught by freak winds, and came across The Border to North Korea . It is by the dashing Jeong-hyuk, the wrong instead of her to protect her and help her back home. Inevitably, they Fall In love.

Kwak intimate knowledge, such as North Korea meant niche officials operate, that he could contribute to the ingenious plot-devices.

For example, at one point, the secret police about Se-ri-hidden in a village. Jeong-hyuk comes quickly with The Line that you are a spy with the Division 11, the military unit, which works undercover in The South .

This helps to explain, your southern accent, your lack of paperwork and your appearance, and gave the sign of freedom, The Village to explore and interact with others, while they refuse to answer your questions, about her life, which, for security reasons.

Se-ri in the Cover Story , which helps her blend in with The Local North Korean women

During The Show , there are representations of life, which could be made credible by the insights of someone like Kwak.

the trains are shown to stop abruptly because of power failure, homeless children on The Streets , and refrigerators used to store books and clothes instead of Food .

Kwak also contributed to a subplot of the drama is that of another pair of star-crossed lovers from the North and The South , Gu Seung-joon and Seo.

After embezzling a huge amount of money from Se-ri's brother, Seung-joon goes on the run, and decides to take refuge in North Korea .

"North Korea says the only place that can not reach Interpol," Kwak.

Is it true that North Korea provides protection for wanted criminals in exchange for a hefty amount of money? "It is quite plausible," Kwak says. "This is all what I want to say. "

Praise from other defectors

Some of The Crash -landing have accused you of glamorising North Korea . For example, villagers seem to be plenty of Food - But in reality, Food shortages are a recurring problem.

But those nuanced details are rarely seen, The South Koreans, and the drama has also impressed other dropouts.

Chun Hyo-jin, who defected when she was 19, said the drama does not differ from reality, But that does not dent their enthusiasm for it. Most of your family are now living in The South , and the drama has become a weekly theme.

The two main actors are stars in South Korea

"it Each time in the air, we call each other on The Phone and talk about the drama," Chun says.

"It has interested the people in North Korea . My friends will ask me about North Korea , and I'm really thankful for that. "

It also won Praise from people like Sokeel Park, the defectors about Liberty in North Korea .

"His portrayal of the various aspects of North Korean society have been clearly researched thoroughly, what in The Most of the three-dimensional representation of the North Korean society in every movie or drama to date," he told the BBC.

"It is refreshing, as it describes various aspects of North Korean society, without the unnecessary, we make a judgment, and the North Koreans are a complex people, which is ultimately valid, and also adorable, even if they are culturally different. "

It is known that the North-Koreans, especially the young, are fans of K-drama - and as a Crash-landing on the shows, a lot of Korean movies and dramas are smuggled into North Korea .

Kwak says he has not heard of any North Korean who has watched the drama.

"I'm sure you will be very interested. It is your story. It comes to you.

"And I think that, mainly in the North would feel Korean men, very grateful to play a handsome guy like Hyun Bin , one of them," he chuckled.

film, north korea, north korean defectors, south korea

Source of news: bbc.com