I just found out that Crash Landing on You was inspired by a real-life incident (where an actress accidentally crossed border)

Netflix's 2020 romantic series Crash Landing on You broke all records and is also responsible for introducing K-dramas to many people.

This 2020 show reintroduced me to K-dramas after a long time, and I loved watching every minute of it. The forbidden romance between a South Korean chaebol heiress and a North Korean army Captain ended up winning hearts and also became the second-highest rated series on Korean cable.

Crash Landing on You follows Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), a South Korean businesswoman who ends up in North Korea after a paragliding accident. She lands straight into Ri Jeong-hyeok's (Hyun-bin) territory, who shelters her, and the two end up falling in love with each other.

The K-drama also rose to prominence after actors Ye-jin and Hyun-bin announced their dating and got married in 2022.

While the romance depicted in the K-drama is fictional, it was inspired by a real-life incident in which actress Jung Yang-a accidentally reached North Korea while sailing.

More on Crash Landing on You's real-life inspiration in our story.

Netflix's breakthrough K-drama Crash Landing on You was inspired by a real-life incident

I just found out that Crash Landing on You's cross-border love story was inspired by a real-life incident, where a South Korean actress accidentally crossed the border and reached North Korea.

While the swooning romance between Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri was fictional (and one we wish we had), the premise of the K-drama was inspired by a real-life incident, from actress Jung Yang and her friends' experience.

Crash Landing on You writer Park Ji-eun was inspired after she heard the intriguing tale of Jung Yang and her friends, who accidentally crossed the Northern Limit Line. In 2008, the actress and her friends were out sailing on the shores of Incheon when they got lost due to thick fog and bad weather.

The next thing they knew was that they had accidentally crossed the border and reached North Korea, just like Se-ri happened to crash land in the neighbouring country during paragliding in Crash Landing on You.

They were floating adrift for two hours before making their way into North Korea, and Jung Yang only realised that they had crossed the border when they met a North Korean fisher boat.

They were able to recognise the distinct North Korean accents of the fisherman, after which they sent an emergency distress message and were finally rescued by a South Korean naval ship.

While the incident was scary and could have had a serious aftermath for Jung Yang and her friends, this sparked creativity in writer Ji-eun as she discussed with tVN:

“It was a major incident that was on the news. That’s when I first realised, ‘Is North Korea that close? Is it so close that you can get there after letting your mind slip for a second?‘ It’s a place that’s close but forbidden.”

She added:

“Also, the same race of people live there and speak the same language. I thought a story about someone who was forced to land there might be fun.”

Jung Yang's story became the basis for Crash Landing on You, and it became a breakthrough K-drama on Netflix, partly even igniting the platform's passion to invest in more Korean shows.

While writer Ji-eun's inspiration was visible in her beautiful story, she is also the mastermind behind classic K-dramas The Legend of the Blue Sea and My Love from the Star.

If she can make fans swoon over love stories between humans and mermaids & aliens, this cross-border love story between a South Korean heiress and a North Korean soldier was bound to be a fan-favorite.

Just like Jung Yang and her friends, Se-ri also accidentally ends up in North Korea and ends up falling for Jeong-hyeok, the reserved captain in the Korean People's Army.

While the two are star-crossed lovers from the beginning, love blossoms between them, and their forbidden love story struck an emotional chord with the audience, and Crash Landing on You became a successful K-drama globally.

Crash Landing on You is available to stream on Netflix.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

Also Read: Is When Life Gives You Tangerines based on a true story?

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback