“Crash Landing On You” Writer Shares The Incredible Real Life Event That Inspired The Drama

Park Ji Eun, the writer of the hit drama series Crash Landing On You, recently featured in an interview with tvN where she shared her inspiration for the drama.

According to Park Ji Eun, the idea of a South Korean woman accidentally landing in the North was inspired by an event involving actress Jung Yang over 12 years ago.

In September of 2008, Jung Yang and three friends left the shores of Incheon to test run a boat. They stopped by a nearby island for lunch before setting sail again. Unfortunately, they became lost due to a thick fog, causing them to float adrift for approximately two hours before encountering a North Korean fishing boat near the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

Upon hearing the North Korean accents of the fishermen, however, they immediately turned the boat around and sent an emergency distress message to the coast guard. The end to their nightmare finally came when they were rescued by a South Korean naval ship.

During the time of this incident, Park Ji Eun was in the process of writing the drama My Wife Is A Superwoman. She recalled the event in her perspective.

When I was planning the drama My Wife Is A Superwoman in 2008, as a budding writer, an actress took a ferry from Incheon and met a current of wind. When she came to, she found herself off the shores of North Korea, and the North Korean coast guard was chasing after her.

— Park Ji Eun

The incident made her realize that a seemingly improbable event like that is actually feasible in real life.

It was a major incident that was on the news. That’s when I first realized, ‘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.

— Park Ji Eun

At the end of the day, she simply wanted to write a fun story that many people would enjoy. It doesn’t hurt that she was able to bring together people from the same race!

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.

— Park Ji Eun

Were you aware that Crash Landing On You was inspired by a real-life event?

Hear more from writer Park Ji Eun in the full video below!