How a defector from the DPRK helped shoot the most popular TV series in South Korea

In South Korea, the new television series "Love Landing" is a great success. The story of a romantic relationship between a girl from a rich family who accidentally flew away on a paraglider to North Korea, and a military man, is very fascinating and filmed realistically. The series owes much of its success to a man from North Korea who helped write the script and advised the director.

"Love Landing" could have become a typical "soap" South Korean love series, if not for the frighteningly accurate description of North Korean reality. This was made possible thanks to a man named Kwak Moon Wang, a former citizen of the DPRK and a former guard of the family of the North Korean leader.

Kwak Moon Wan

Kwak was sent to Moscow, to the trade mission of the country, which extracted such an important foreign currency for the DPRK. In the capital of Russia, a man diligently did his job, until in 2004 he was unexpectedly called back to Pyongyang guide.

It immediately became clear that such an unexpected challenge would not end well. But just before leaving, Kwak found out that things were even worse than he thought. One of his colleagues turned out to be a snitch and reported "upstairs" about some conversations he had with him.It was about information about the Kim family, and therefore Kwak Moon Wan realized that he could not return home. He made the most important decision in his life - he abandoned his family and became a defector. The man settled in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, and started a new life there.

It was no coincidence that Kvak turned out to be in the cinema. Before becoming a military man, back in the 90s, he studied cinematography, formerly in The DPRK is held in high esteem. Kim Jong Il, who led the country at that time, was a lover of this art and films were regularly shot in the country, and of quite decent quality.

Kwak studied directing at Pyongyang University of Cinematography and Dramatic Art and it was useful to him in his new life. Once a well-known director in the country turned to the South Korean intelligence agency for help. He needed a good consultant to make a movie about the northern neighbor.

There he was advised by a Quaker, whose education was indicated in his personal file. The former bodyguard of the North Korean leader agreed to work in the cinema, because once it was his biggest dream. As a consultant, he took part in the creation of several films and TV series, proving himself an excellent expert on the realities of life in the DPRK.

That is why in 2018, screenwriter Park Chi-eun came to Kwak with his love story of a communist military man and a rich heiress from South Korea. He needed a person who knows best not only the life of a neighboring country, but also the peculiarities of service in its army.

The new series has become the most successful in the history of South Korean television. His ratings were simply staggering, and the audience was unexpectedly diverse. Millions watched the twists and turns of love between businesswoman Yoon Se-ri and captain of the armed forces of North Korea Lee Jong-hyuk with bated breath.In the film, Se-ri, who was engaged in paragliding, gets into a strong wind with her aircraft and is carried away across the border. In North Korea, she is found by Captain Jong Hyuk, who does not give the girl away, but offers help in returning to her homeland. Of course, feelings flare up between young people.

Thanks to Kvak, the series has become bright and full of unexpected twists. His knowledge of the work of the DPRK security forces made it possible to achieve incredible realism and intensity of actions. For example, in the series there is a moment when the secret police discovers Se-ri in the village. Jung Hyuk says that the girl is an employee of the "11th division" - a unit conducting intelligence in South Korea.

This explains her special southern accent and lack of documents. After that, there are no questions for the girl and she freely moves around the village and communicates with the locals. The realism of the events and scenery is largely the merit of former North Korean serviceman Kwak Moon Wan.The unpleasant realities of a country with a totalitarian regime living in isolation from the whole world are shown. The viewer can see trains stopping due to a power outage, street children on the streets, refrigerators in which books on the history of the party are stored instead of food.

Kvak helped to create a secondary line of the series. Se-ri's brother, entrepreneur Gu Seung-jun, embezzled other people's money and, fearing retribution, decided to flee to a neighboring country. North Korea is the only place where Interpol is completely powerless and criminals wanted in South Korea often run there.

Thanks to Kwak, everyone now knows that the DPRK turns a blind eye to crimes in exchange for money. When the Kwak is asked if this is really happening, he evasively replies: "It's plausible. That's all I can tell you."

The popular series got a little from critics. They accused the filmmakers of embellishing reality in North Korea. As an example, they cite the abundance of food in rural areas, while all over the world they know that peasants in the DPRK are systematically malnourished.

But for South Korean viewers, such trifles did not matter at all — they were completely immersed in the intricacies of the plot. The work of the creators of "Love Landing" was highly appreciated by the defectors. One of the former residents of the DPRK, Jung Hye Jin, who fled to South Korea at the age of 19, claims that the life of her former homeland is still embellished.But this circumstance does not spoil the overall impression of the series at all, and Chon admits that after each new episode he calls up with friends and relatives, refugees like her, to discuss the events of the film. She is grateful to the project team and personally to Kvak for serious and necessary work.

The series shows North Korean youth who secretly watch films from South Korea imported into the country illegally, at great risk. Kwak Moon Wan told reporters that so far he has no data that the series was seen in his homeland. But he believes that "Love Landing" will definitely interest North Korean viewers.