Volume 18 | Issue 12 | Number 5 | Article ID 5408 | Jun 05, 2020 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Crash Landing on You and North Korea: Representation and Reception in the Age of K-Drama Stephen Epstein, Christopher K. Green Abstract surrounding media environment. We also add to a growing body of scholarship that situates South Korean dramas within broader social and political contexts. Keywords: Crash Landing on You; K-drama; Hallyu; South Korean popular culture; North Korean defectors; talbukja; Hyun Bin; Son Ye- jin Crash Landing on You (Sarang-ui bulsichak), a Crash Landing on You (Sarang-ui bulsichak), a 16-episode drama on South Korean cable 16-episode drama on South Korean cable channel tvN in 2019-20 that was also released channel tvN featuring top stars Hyun Bin and on Netflix, has drawn broad attention for its Son Ye-jin, has drawn broad attention for its storyline featuring a South Korean heiress unusual storyline: a South Korean chaebol stranded in North Korea who falls in love with heiress, stranded in North Korea after a an elite military officer. Though the show paragliding mishap, falls in love with a Korean invokes many formulae of South Korean People’s Army officer from an elite Pyongyang dramas, it also offers a detailed portrait of family. The first episode aired on 14 December North Korea, and, as such, is a crucial text for 2019, and the show wrapped up on 16 evaluating ongoing change in South Korean February 2020. Over the course of its tvN popular representations of its neighbour. broadcast, viewership rose week by week and Indeed, given the concerted use of North the show’s finale achieved almost a 22% Korean backdrops in Crash Landing on You and audience share in South Korea, the second the size and global extent of its audiences, the highest ever for a cable drama to that date.1 show is likely the most noteworthy South Equally notably, the near immediate subtitled Korean popular culture representation of North Netflix release of each episode in multiple Korea yet produced. In this article, we first jurisdictions proved a clear success with consider the drama and its depictions of North overseas viewers. Interest grew further as the Korea and then discuss groupings of Korean drama attracted new audiences amidst and international responses to the show. In pandemic lockdowns around the world, with doing so, we extend our work on the confluence articles about the show then appearing in such of South Korean pop culture representations of prominent outlets as The Washington Post (Kim North Korea with developments in information and Denyer 2020), Al-Jazeera (Kasulis 2020), and communication technologies and the The Guardian (Walker 2020) and NBC News 1 18 | 12 | 5 APJ | JF (Suliman and Kim 2020). those outside Korea point to the ever- expanding realms of reception and dialogue in Although Crash Landing on You invokes many which South Korean dramas find themselves formulae of South Korean dramas in its tale of embedded. Crash Landing therefore is playing a star-crossed love, it blazed new ground with (or at least has the potential to play) an individuated Northern characters and diverse important role in the non-linear process of North Korean settings that conveyed authentic transforming North Korea in both the domestic details of daily life above the 38th parallel. and global imagination from a rogue state ruled Attempts to create verisimilitude in depicting by crazed despots to yet another country with the North (albeit amidst the less-than-realistic its own particular histories, strengths and conventions of romantic comedy) thus make the weaknesses. show a crucial text for evaluating ongoing change in South Korean popularAccordingly, we first briefly consider the show representations of its neighbour. The drama itself, focusing on aspects of how a drama provides some of the strongest evidence to date produced amidst the sociocultural and that media developments of the last decade are geopolitical frameworks of the 2018-2019 affecting the South Korean public’speriod portrays North Korea and a North understandings of North Korea and that the Korean protagonist, as well as the attitude the rise of variety and reality shows featuring show evinces towards North Korean society resettled North Koreans living in the South, more generally. We then discuss distinct together with self-broadcast from thisgroupings of responses to the show: media community of talbukja (lit. “those who have left articles and statements from conservative the north”)2 via platforms like Afreeca.tv and South Koreans; talbukja commentary on YouTube; and international reactions from the YouTube, are encouraging ever more realistic press and fans engaging in online fora. In doing and detailed pictures of the country’s people so, we extend our work on the confluence of and its social and economic structures. Indeed, South Korean pop culture representations of given the concerted use of North Korean North Korea with developments in information backdrops in Crash Landing on You and the and communication technologies and the size and global extent of its audiences, the surrounding media environment (Epstein and show can readily be considered the single most Green 2013; Epstein and Green 2019), and add noteworthy South Korean popular culture to a growing body of scholarship that situates representation of life within North Korea ever South Korean dramas within broader social and produced. political contexts (e.g. Elfving-Hwang 2017; Perhaps naturally, however, in handling such a Flamm 2018; Yi 2018). polarising subject as North Korea,Crash Landing on You (henceforth Crash Landing, in preference to CLOY, its usual but unfortunate Mixing Pop and Politics acronym) has also provoked divergent responses among its various audiences. As we Television rom-com dramas may not seem an discuss below, although a broad swath of the obvious site of international relations, but South Korean populace is seemingly content to consumption of popular culture has come to view North Korea in nuanced hues, others play a key role in shaping interactions between reject depictions of its neighbour that deviate countries in East Asia in recent years as from black-and-white portraits. Moreover, transnational media flows surge, including reactions to the show from not only native-born between North and South Korea (Kim 2019). As South Korean viewers but alsotalbukja and widely reported, Hallyu, the spread of South 2 18 | 12 | 5 APJ | JF Korean popular culture, is acting as a pull geopolitical environment in which the Korean factor in encouraging migration from the North peninsula is embedded. (Lee 2019). Meanwhile, South Korea’s popular narratives about North Korea, far from unified, Crash Landing was planned, shot and embody the country’s many aspirations,eventually broadcast during an especially desires, and fears concerning its neighbour and noteworthy period in inter-Korean relations, impinge upon domestic mass sentiment. The one particular to the volatile climate of the images found in broadly consumed cultural Moon Jae-in administration’s diplomatic dance texts such as Crash Landing therefore refract with Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Moon and generate ongoing changes in inter-Korean had assumed the presidency in mid-2017 relations, even if their effects are elusive, amidst sharply heightened US-DPRK tensions, unpredictable and occasionally contradictory. which even provoked fears that war might break out. By year’s end, however, North Korea In also breaking ground with its portrayals of was telegraphing a move to dialogue, with the North Korea at an international level,Crash US as the ultimate target. Seizing the Landing deserves notice for its role in a savvy, opportunity offered by Pyongyang’s willingness globally aware cultural industry thatto use engagement with Seoul to shift gears increasingly takes as much heed of audiences with Washington, the South held secretive talks beyond its borders as it does of domestic with the North that November. The viewers. In this senseCrash Landing goes Pyeongchang Winter Olympics of February beyond a South Korean drama addressing a 2018 provided a stage for the public locally relevant theme, and functions very performance of inter-Korean friendship, and much as a “K-drama,” that is, a Hallyu product the presence of combined teams in a handful of intended to generate revenue overseas while sports, as well as a cheering squad of North enhancing the prestige of the South Korean Korean women, and visits of groups of nation, but one that does so through the Northern musicians to South Korea helped lead unusual and compelling medium of featuring a to a thawing of the frosty diplomatic climate. In local take on North Korea. Over the last decade April, Moon and Kim held a summit at the truce various South Korean dramas such asIris village of Panmunjeom that riveted the world, (2009), Athena: God of War (2010), Spy Myong and at a second surprise meeting there the Wol (2011) and The King 2 Hearts (2012) have following month, Moon appeared to help Kim featured North Korean characters, but none rescue his endangered June summit with have had similar reach or treated the country Trump. Reinvigorated inter-Korean relations itself in anything like the same detail as Crash continued through the summer, and grand Landing. And although the show’s use of North plans for heightened co-operation made Korea as a backdrop in Crash Landing can also frequent headlines. Kim and Moon met again be situated within South Korean drama’s for a