Crash Landing On You is not your typical love story. The popular show starring the real-life couple Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin became the second-highest-rated cable drama in South Korea.
The plot revolves around the exciting story of star-crossed lovers Yoon Se-ri, a wealthy entrepreneur and heiress to a conglomerate in South Korea, and Ri Jeongh-hyeok, a North Korean army officer.
The writer for Crash Landing on You, Park Ji Eun, revealed that she drew inspiration for the Kdrama from a real-life event. This involves South Korean actress Jung Yang. So, yes, Crash Landing On You is [sort-of] based on a true story.
The Korean drama series unfolds in an unrealistic setup comprising the neighboring countries- South Korea and North Korea.
According to Ji Eun, in 2008, actor Jung Yang and her friends were sailing on the shores of Incheon to test-run a boat. Eventually, her ship was swept away due to bad weather and was close to crossing the Northern Limit Line, separating the two Koreas.
Unlike the events in the series, Jung Yang turned the boat around when they heard the fishermen speak in a North Korean accent. In her distress, the actress sent an emergency message to the North Korean coast guard chasing after her.
“When I was planning the drama, My Wife Is A Superwoman in 2008 as a budding writer, an actress took a ferry from Incheon and met a wind current. When she came to, she found herself off the shores of North Korea, and the North Korean coast guard was chasing after her,” Ji Eun recalled the event.
“It was a major incident that was on the news. That’s when I first realized, ‘Is North Korea that close? Is it so close that you can get there after letting your mind slip? It’s a place that’s close but forbidden,” she elaborated.
Drawing inspiration from what happened, Park explores a storyline where the protagonist accidentally lands in North Korea. Therefore, the arrival of the Kdrama “Crash Landing On You.”
The Defector who Brought North-South Korean Romance to Life
Crash Landing on You is a typical K-drama romance in many ways but has been widely praised for its well-researched and nuanced portrayal of North Korea. It was achieved by having a real-life North Korean defector on its writing team.
With his broad shoulders and thick torso, Kwak Moon-wan has all the appearance of a bodyguard. That’s probably because, until 2004, he served with the Supreme Guard Command, the elite security force which protects North Korea’s ruling Kim family.
He was so trusted that he was assigned to work overseas, too, for a North Korean trade company in Moscow that was bringing in much-needed foreign currency. We know that only a few North Koreans are permitted to work outside the country.
To ensure their continued loyalty, the leaders have measures in place-Kwak had to leave his wife and son behind in North Korea.
In 2004, he was ordered to return to Pyongyang. During a stopover in Beijing, he found out one of his friends in Moscow had reported to their bosses in Pyongyang what he had said in private conversation.
He knew immediately that what he’d said would cause colossal trouble when he got home. So, he decided to defect. Alone. And he has lived in South Korea without his family ever since.
After arriving in South Korea, Kwak began building a new life like thousands of North Korean defectors. And it took a remarkable twist of fate for Kwak to find his way into the booming Korean entertainment world.
About Crash Landing On You
The K-Drama Crash Landing On You spans an incredible backdrop of South Korea and North Korea. Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye Jin) is the heiress of a South Korean conglomerate whose adventurous paragliding incident lands her in the forbidden military lines of the neighboring country.
She meets a North Korean army officer, Ri Jeong-hook (Hyun Bin). Captain Ri tries to protect her and promises to help her return safely to her home country. Eventually, the oddly matched couple falls in love during the ‘rescue mission.’
The K-Drama has been penned by Park Ji Eun, the screenwriter who also wrote the popular drama series My love from the star.
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