"Crash Landing on You" tells a love story that crosses the 38th parallel, while also giving me some insights beyond love.
What comes to mind when we mention North Korea? Previously, I would probably think of poverty, hunger, brainwashing, surveillance, high security, secret executions, and other elements from "1984". However, some time ago, I saw many travel bloggers posting vlogs and articles about their trips to North Korea. Following their footage and words, this mysterious country, which used to be cold and dark in my mind, suddenly became three-dimensional, arousing my curiosity.
That's why when I saw "Crash Landing on You" on the Netflix homepage, I immediately added it to my watchlist. I have to say that the setting of a South Korean female protagonist crash-landing in North Korea really attracted me. I wanted to explore this mysterious country through the eyes of the female lead. "Crash Landing on You" became the first Korean drama I watched in my life.
Plot Summary#
The plot of this story is not overly complicated. The female lead, Yoon Se-ri, is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy family in South Korea. Due to her special status, she is ostracized by her older brother. As a result, she independently establishes her own company brand, "Se-ri's Choice," proving herself and gaining her father's recognition. She becomes the heiress of the Queen Group, making her brother and sister-in-law jealous. However, during a shoot for an outdoor clothing advertisement, she gets caught in a tornado while paragliding and accidentally lands in the DMZ of North Korea. She is rescued by Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok, the leader of the 5th Company of the Border Security Regiment (who is actually the son of the Chief of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army).
While Yoon Se-ri is trapped in North Korea, Ri Jeong-hyeok takes her in and helps her find a way back to South Korea. During this process, they develop feelings for each other. Meanwhile, Yoon Se-ri's second brother, upon learning of the situation, intervenes to prevent her from returning to South Korea in order to compete for the position of heir. However, Ri Jeong-hyeok manages to send Yoon Se-ri to South Korea by requesting a border duty rotation.
After successfully sending Yoon Se-ri back to South Korea, Major Cho Cheol-gang, who had a previous conflict with Ri Jeong-hyeok, follows her to South Korea with the intention of kidnapping her and using her as evidence of Ri Jeong-hyeok's "spy" activities, in an attempt to bring down the influence of the Chief of the General Political Bureau. Therefore, Ri Jeong-hyeok infiltrates South Korea to protect Yoon Se-ri and becomes her "bodyguard." When Ri Jeong-hyeok's father finds out, he immediately sends members of Ri Jeong-hyeok's company to South Korea to retrieve him, using the excuse of participating in the Military World Games. Later, Ri Jeong-hyeok's group and Cho Cheol-gang's group engage in a firefight, resulting in Cho Cheol-gang's death and Yoon Se-ri being shot and falling into a coma. Ri Jeong-hyeok's group is subsequently arrested and investigated.
After a thorough investigation, Ri Jeong-hyeok's group finally clears their names and is sent back to their country.
After returning to his country, Ri Jeong-hyeok continues to communicate with Yoon Se-ri through scheduled text messages. Under his guidance, Yoon Se-ri gradually becomes more cheerful and starts living a more serious life. In the end, they reunite in Switzerland, where they first met.
Highlights of the Series#
Usually, my impression of Korean dramas is that they are overly sentimental, overly Mary Sue, and overly tear-jerking. However, after watching "Crash Landing on You," I realized that this drama is indeed sentimental and tear-jerking, and it is quite Mary Sue... but the unique aspect is that it places people from South and North Korea in the environment of another country, creating dramatic conflicts, and we grow with the characters in these conflicts.
Love#
The initial attraction of this TV series for me was the concept of "South Koreans in North Korea," but after watching it, I found that there is more emphasis on love (after all, the title is "Crash Landing on You"). So, I would like to talk about this love story and the changes it brings to the two characters.
In South Korea, Yoon Se-ri is considered part of the "upper class," but growing up in a chaebol family like hers, she has never felt much love. Being the illegitimate daughter, she has always had conflicts with her family, and she may have never felt affection from anyone other than her father. As a result, she has become accustomed to calculating everything and always considers the value of any choice, even turning her own scandals into PR opportunities for her company. After her father designates her as the heir, she believes that her past judgments were all correct. At the same time, due to the lack of love, she never easily reveals her true feelings and keeps her distance from everyone. In the company, she always presents herself as a strong woman, always eating alone, and treating her subordinates very strictly. In romantic relationships, she always emphasizes that she is the one who ends the relationship, not allowing herself to fail or get hurt emotionally.
However, after she unexpectedly arrives in North Korea, she gradually changes. Although she initially approaches Ri Jeong-hyeok and the women in the military village for practical reasons, we can feel her transformation. The "picky princess" who never eats more than three bites of any ordinary food in South Korea enjoys eating rice cakes dipped in sugar in North Korea. The one who is used to pairing seafood with white wine in South Korea happily enjoys grilled clams and soju in North Korea. The one who meticulously times the boiling of soft-boiled eggs for breakfast in South Korea happily eats ordinary boiled eggs and potatoes in North Korea. The caring and sincere companionship of Ri Jeong-hyeok's group and the women in the village undoubtedly provide her with the sincerity and care that she rarely receives in South Korea.
When Yoon Se-ri is injured while accompanying Ri Jeong-hyeok to the airport to catch a flight back to South Korea, she chooses to miss the flight and stay in North Korea to donate blood for Ri Jeong-hyeok, who has lost too much blood. This choice is definitely not favorable to her goal of returning to South Korea, but she now cares more about the safety of her loved one than returning to South Korea. The Yoon Se-ri who used to scoff at holiday celebrations starts preparing certificates and gifts for Ri Jeong-hyeok's group. The Yoon Se-ri who used to be afraid of getting hurt finally lets go of her defenses and begins to actively care for others.
Ri Jeong-hyeok, on the other hand, was originally a sunny and optimistic boy with dreams of playing the piano. However, when he received the news of his brother's death in a car accident while studying in Switzerland, he resolutely gave up his musical dreams and returned to his homeland to fulfill his father's wish for "at least one of the two brothers to be a soldier." He may have always felt guilty about his brother joining the military, which provided him with an opportunity to pursue his dreams. After his brother's death, he felt even more sorry for his brother and closed off his emotions, becoming silent and no longer expecting anything from life.
However, one day, Yoon Se-ri falls from the sky and enters Ri Jeong-hyeok's ordinary life. Her presence brings back his passion for life. With her companionship, Ri Jeong-hyeok gradually begins to let go of his past pain. The person who always silently gives and protects, after Yoon Se-ri gives up the opportunity to return to South Korea for him, also starts accepting care and concern from others. Later, in South Korea, he even tells Yoon Se-ri that he actually wants to stay in South Korea and live with her. The serious and reserved Ri Jeong-hyeok finds a window to show his vulnerability after Yoon Se-ri appears, no longer suppressing his emotions and no longer living with regrets and losses.
I suddenly remembered a widely circulated and somewhat cliché saying: "To love someone is to suddenly have armor and suddenly have vulnerabilities." This perfectly summarizes the love story of the two main characters, allowing each other to become their weaknesses and then doing everything possible to protect each other.
North Korea#
In addition to love, I was also interested in seeing the "current situation of life in North Korea" in the series. Through Yoon Se-ri's eyes, we see what the screenwriter wants us to see about "North Korea." The North Korea depicted in the TV series also experiences frequent power outages, and people are equally surprised by the fact that they can "eat meat every day." Only a few people have access to "mobile phones," and even installing mobile apps requires going to a "store." The currency used in transactions is phone cards and US dollars... However, it is precisely this somewhat backward and isolated environment that is portrayed as a picturesque scene in the drama, becoming a paradise for Yoon Se-ri, who comes from South Korea. As mentioned earlier, she feels cared for and gains friendship here. Even the monitoring officer who accompanies Ri Jeong-hyeok's group to South Korea, due to "professional habits," secretly records important evidence of Yoon Se-ri's second brother's attempt to harm her in the hospital room where she was shot. In addition, the women in the military village cleverly save the family of the monitoring officer from being kidnapped, and "Se-ri's Choice" launches a limited edition "Yearning" series featuring a friend from the military village on the cover. These are all carefully designed plotlines that significantly beautify the drama.
Inter-Korean Relations#
Given the current temporarily hostile relationship between North and South Korea, it is rare for a drama from one country to not vilify or show hostility towards the other. In my opinion, this drama's choice to showcase the positive aspects as much as possible may reflect the hopes of the South Korean people for the future of inter-Korean relations. After all, the territory of the Republic of Korea still includes the entire Korean Peninsula according to its constitution, and "North Korean residents" are considered citizens of the Republic of Korea. Combining this with the seemingly warming relations between North and South Korea in recent years, we can perhaps see South Korea's attempt to soften the hostile relationship in this drama.
Indeed, North and South Korea are of the same ethnicity and share the same language, but they have been artificially divided for decades due to certain politicians' "far-sighted" calculations. A narrow 38th parallel has absurdly divided this nation into two sides, yet soldiers from both sides can communicate normally even when they engage in close combat, and they can even sing each other's national anthems because they hear them so often. However, this artificially drawn line cuts off the possibility of communication between compatriots living in both places.
I have to admit that a nation needs to explore a path suitable for itself and choose a system that suits itself, which indeed requires some struggle and sacrifice. But to be divided for decades for reasons that even we ourselves cannot clearly explain, and for both governments to relentlessly promote hostility, is this really what this nation wants? Or is this situation really good for the people of this nation? Is division truly in the interest of the nation or the interest of a few?
All I know is that in the current situation, even for individuals like Ri Jeong-hyeok, who have power and wealth like Yoon Se-ri, to love each other deeply but be unable to be together for a lifetime just because they were born on opposite sides of the 38th parallel, even if they can only meet once and have to risk everything, including themselves and their families, how can one not feel heartbroken?
Conclusion#
The above content is just my spontaneous thoughts. I wrote whatever came to mind and realized that there are many things I haven't mentioned. For example, the stories of the second male lead and second female lead in this drama are also interesting. At the same time, the fate of the main characters did not start with Yoon Se-ri's crash landing in North Korea. In short, there are many details that cannot be covered without watching the TV series again.
I have to admit that although it was my first time watching a Korean drama and I was not used to the somewhat Mary Sue setting and the somewhat slow-paced and tearful plot, I still think this drama is highly recommended. It not only made me think about how to love someone from the perspective of the two characters, but also made me think about how to love a nation from the perspective of two countries.