From Leisure to Danger: Celebrity’s Harrowing Drift into North Korean Waters

The drama Crash Landing on You is a love story between a North Korean officer and a wealthy heiress who unexpectedly lands in North Korea due to a paragliding accident.

When the plot of the drama was revealed for the first time, a lot of people reacted with skepticism, questioning how one could end up in North Korea because of an accident and calling this storyline unrealistic.

However, there is a star who unexpectedly ended up in North Korea and even faced gunfire while enjoying a boat ride.

That star is actress and singer Jung Yang.

In 2008, Jung Yang and three men set off from Wangsan Beach in Incheon towards Deokjeok Island and arrived near Seonmido Island.

However, they lost their way as the conditions and weather suddenly worsened with the wind causing Jung Yang and her friends to drift near the Northern Limit Line.

They spent nearly two hours drifting in the West Sea and called for help on the marine accident report line, 122.

After about two and a half hours, they were finally rescued around the southeast of Yeonpyeong Island. While waiting for the rescue, Jung Yang and her friends crossed the Northern Limit Line and even encountered North Korean residents.

While drifting in the fog, they met a resident on an unfamiliar shore. They asked for the direction to Incheon, but the response they received was in a North Korean dialect.

Afterward, they turned their boat around and headed south, but they were chased by a North Korean patrol boat broadcasting warnings.

Thanks to their quick reaction to follow the instructions from the Korean Coast Guard, Jung Yang and her friends were able to escape the crisis. They experienced a thrilling incident where they almost drifted into North Korea.

They underwent a joint interrogation by related agencies, but as there was no special suspicion related to espionage, they were allowed to return home.

Jung Yang, who debuted with MBC’s Three Friends in 2000, got married to a Chinese Australian in 2012 and has two sons and a daughter.

After getting married, Jung Yang did not continue her career in acting and temporarily retired from the entertainment industry. She regularly updates her social media account, mainly uploading about her daily life with her family in Sydney.

She has posted many affectionate posts about her youngest daughter, showing her love for her family.