North Korea has always been an important part of South Korean spy dramas. The constant tension between the two countries have led to the emergence of such stories. But the representation of North Koreans has changed and writers are coming up with unique storylines. Here are some popular North Korean characters.
1. Hyun Bin
In ‘Crash Landing on You,’ Hyun Bin starred as Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok from North Korea. He saves a wealthy South Korean after she falls in North Korea due to a paragliding accident. He hides her to protect her and his team from investigations but eventually falls in love with her.
2. Jung Ho Yeon
Jung Ho Yeon became a household name after starring in ‘Squid Game.’ The show is about a survival game where the winner is left alive and also given a cash prize. Ho Yeon played Kang Sae Byeok, who defects from North Korea and wants to earn money to help her parents defect.
3. Seo Ji Hye
Also from the drama ‘Crash landing on You,’ Seo Ji Hye played the role of Seo Dan, a rich North Korean woman. She is engaged to her first love and is all set to marry him. Her life changes when she gets to know that her fiancé is in love with a South Korean woman and never loved her.
4. Lee Jong Suk
In ‘Doctor Stranger,’ Park Hoon, played by Lee Jong Suk is a South Korean but was sent to North Korea with his father. But they later realised they were cheated. He gets trained as a doctor in North Korea. When he defects to the south, he loses contact with his soul-mate who had also planned to defect.
5. Jeon Jong Seo
Jeon Jong Seo played Tokyo, aka Lee Hong dan in ‘Money Heist: Joint Economic Area.’ She played a North Korean woman who was wanted for committing robberies and murders. She has received military training and is chosen by the professor for the heist.
6. Ha Ji Won
In ‘The King 2 Hearts,’ ha Ji Won played the role of captain Kim Hang Ah. She belongs to the North Korean Special Forces and is the daughter of a deputy minister. She meets the South Korean prince in a joint military training programme and they start liking each other.
7. Bae Jong Ok
In the thriller series ‘Spy,’ Bae Jong Ok played Park Hye Rim, a South Korean housewife with a loving husband and son. In reality, she is a North Korean spy who has left her old life. She ends up in a crisis when she is asked to trap her son who is a South Korean agent.
8. Kim So Yeon
In the drama ‘Iris,’ Kim Sun Hwa, played by Kim So Yeon is a high ranking officer in the North Korean security forces. She is one of the few women to reach this rank and has hatred towards South Korea. She falls in love with a South Korean agent.
9. Jung Hae In
Lim Soo Ho, played by Jung Hae In, in the drama ‘Snowdrop,’ pretends tobe a graduate student but is actually a North Korean agent. He is saved by a young South Korean woman who treats his injuries and falls in love with her. A hostage situation changes his life.
10. Han Ye Seul
Han Ye Seul played the titular role in the drama ‘Spy Myung Wol.’ She is a North Korean agent who is given a special task. She enters South Korea to fulfil the orders of kidnapping a popular actor. As she spies on him, she starts falling in love.
