I haven’t viewed Ep 13. I’m going to wait till Ep 14 is out so I can watch them in one sitting. But I read an interesting piece on netizenbuzz about one NK defector’s opinions on the similitude between CLoY and the real life in NK.

I’m quoting netizenbuzz’s translation here,in full:

Article: North Korean defector YouTuber analyzes ‘Crash Landing On You’ “Young Ae, and Pyo Chi Soo are 100% in sync with North Korean people”

Source: Sports Seoul via Nate

“Young Ae is so similar to the wives of the upper class in the North. And there is no soldier as handsome as Hyun Bin either.”

“The drama has so much well thought out detail that even among us defectors, we call it one of the best depictions of North Korea (laugh).”

“There were times in real life when the electricity went out, trains would stop running, there was no heating so we had to start wood fires. It’s very behind compared to the South. I wouldn’t call the drama a glamorization of the North when they show it for what it is. It’s a drama made to entertain so I think people should just view it as that, a drama.”

(On Style): “The style is totally from the North. Especially Young Ae. Na Wol Sook is exactly what the wives of the soldiers act like. You have to keep your hair tied up in a reserved style. Long or permed hair are not permitted in the North.”

“Ri Sul Joo’s style was trending in the North when I was still there. Before her appearance, most women wore something similar to soldier uniforms or work uniforms. Ri Sul Joo made things like dresses and blouses more popular.”

(On the drinking of soju in the drama): “We don’t drink the soju from the drama. In the North, people make their own alcohol, which is actually done in private since it’s not permitted. We have a variety of different alcohol like acorn, etc that is produced in a factory in Pyongyang. Every city has a factory for it. My mother made corn alcohol and sold it in the market. A lot of the families will make their own food at home to sell.”

(On housing checks): “It’s a lifestyle. You’re not allowed out after 10 pm, and guests must be registered. You’ll be legally penalized if you hide anyone. Most houses get checked if there’s a report of someone watching Korean dramas in there. The entire neighborhood is subjected to it but it’s usually one house that’s targeted, and there really are cases where people will hide in the kimchi cellar. The penalty for watching Korean content is the worst. You can get the death penalty or even sentenced to jail for life just for watching one episode. If you’re rich, you get away with 5-10 years in jail.”

(On soldiers as handsome as Hyun Bin): “This was the most ridiculous. There is no soldier as handsome as him in the North. In the North, men with chubby faces like Jun Hyun Moo are considered handsome. But in the younger generations, they do prefer types like Lee Min Ho, Hyun Bin, and Kwon Sang Woo.”

source: http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.com/2020/02/north-korean-defectors-comment-on.html

Now, after the translated article, netizenbuzz also posted some of the top reactions to the article. I’m posting them here, in full.

1. [+1,544, -89] There’s no soldier as handsome as Hyun Bin in the south either…

2. [+982, -39] ㅎㅎ Pyo Chi Soo is perfect ㅋㅋ

3. [+865, -42] The YouTuber doesn’t want Ri Jung Hyuk to go back to the North ㅋㅋㅋ now that’s genuine ㅋㅋ

4. [+59, -3] “What’s most ridiculous is that Hyun Bin is a North Korean soldier. There is no soldier who looks like him in the North (laugh). Pyo Chi Soo, Geum Eun Dong, and Ear are similar.” ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ

5. [+50, -5] The drama would be half as funny without Pyo Chi Soo

6. [+37, -27] This is sooooo fun ㅋㅋ

7. [+35, -22] Please use uglier actors. How is Hyun Bin a North Korean soldier? Get someone with some burn marks on their head, someone who looks rough.

8. [+27, -4] Young Ae Dongji’s acting is so genuine~!!

9. [+27, -3] The drama makes you realize that North Korea is still in worse condition than we were in our 70s. It makes me grateful that I get to live where I do.

10. [+18, -2] It made me trust her when she said “There is no soldier as handsome as Hyun Bin in the North”

I agree with the general opinion that if we were to gather all the characters and group them according to their visuals, then Hyun Bin/Jung Hyuk will be in one group for looking like a “fake” North Korean, while Chi Soo (the grumpy one) will be in the opposite group designated for authentic-looking North Korean.

What about the other characters? What do you think? Which ones fit your stereotype of a North Korean?

Here’s my take:

EunDong, the maknae: looks North Korean. I’m sure the actor is good-looking in real life. enough. It’s to his credit that he was able to look like a countrified youth.

Manbok, the rat: looks South Korean. If you put glasses on him and add a few more inches to his height, he wouldn’t be a bad-looking ahjussi.
JooMook, the kdrama specialist: looks South Korean
Chisoo, the grouch: definitely looks North Korean, but I don’t mind if he stayed in South Korea. Seriously, after JungHyuk, he’s the character I want most to stay in Seoul. I want to make a capitalist out of him.

Note: Chisoo’s attire here in this scene was actually on point. He reminded me of those ridiculous kpop artists who dress up in mismatched clothes with a foreign designer label emblazoned on them. They try hard to look “haute couture” but the end result is still Walmart. Cough…Gdragon…cough cough. I wish these people would figure out that to become truly artistic, they don’t need to copy and to wear these trendy clothes designed by a Parisian or an Italian fashion house. Korean culture and history provide enough inspiration for the truly artistic people.

But didn’t you think this scene was a riot? Chisoo was pretending to be a rich guy but with just one look at him, the sales assistant could tell that he was a fake.

Did you see what gave Chisoo away?

Hahaha. That was NOT the right logo, and that was NOT how you spell Chanel. He was wearing a knock-off. The sales assistant would know out immediately that Chisoo bought his counterfeit  from a stall in Dongdaemun.

Anyway…

Gwangbum, the radiant one: definitely South Korean. I thought it was funny that he’d been given calling cards and recruited by “SM” and “JYP” casting agents on the streets while he was searching for Seri. There were kpop idols who were “discovered” that way.

I’d mistake him for Kim Soo Hyun’s younger brother.

As for the village ladies, I’m neutral. Since we view North Korea as backwards, we immediately regard unfashionable and homely women as North Korea-ish, and chic and pretty women as Seoulites.

But really, these characters look like those ahjummas working in the rural areas in a South Korea kdrama to me.

This is Young Ae, mentioned in the netizenbuzz article. She does look like a patriotic North Korean wife, doesn’t she?

Compared to these North Korean women, these three South Korean women look polish. I would say however that Sister-in-law #2 looks more NK-ish to me because of her utilitarian haircut and her unadorned coat. The mother had fur coat, and the Sister-in-law had fur trimmings on hers.

Both of Seri’s brothers could pass off as North Koreans since they couldn’t be trusted. Not only were they backstabbers, they were greedy and incompetent CEOs.

And we all know that North Korea is the land where all untrustworthy, greedy and incompetent men live. 🙂

As for this family, if they upgraded their clothes, they’d fit well in Gangnam. They look like a typical mother and daughter strolling through a store, with their chauffeur trailing behind them.

These two sidekicks? They look North Korean. The one on the left reminds of the dictator (hmmm…I wonder why?).

It’s interesting how we viewers arrive at these unconscious biases or prejudices. But I’m not judging anybody. I doubt there was malice involved.

I’ll watch Episodes 13 and 14 today. Let’s have fun with this weekend’s episodes, okay? It’s the penultimate week.