“Backstreet Rookie,” the South Korean comedy romance that depicts the story between the hunky owner of a 24-hour convenience store and an oddball part-timer, is very popular among young North Koreans living near the Sino-North Korean border, Daily NK has learned.
Backstreet Rookie is a relatively new drama that aired from June 19 to Aug. 8 in South Korea.
According to a source Daily NK spoke with last Friday, North Koreans in the area are so crazy about the show that they have continued to watch it in secret in spite of stronger crackdowns from Bureau 10 (a department in the Ministry of State Security tasked with detecting radio waves) following the closure of the Sino-North Korean border in late January.
The drama reaches North Korea primarily through Chinese traders, who send it through messenger services such as WeChat. The show is now so popular that North Koreans are even asking for episodes to be sent to them.
Young North Koreans are reportedly raving over Saet-byul, the female protagonist who is fiercely loyal and protects herself and her friends with martial arts.
Of course, female viewers of the show in the border region are more interested in the male protagonist who owns the store, describing him as “so honest and handsome” and “having no pretenses whatsoever.”
Fans have also rooted for the budding romance between the two protagonists. They cannot wait to see how the story will turn out, wondering if the characters are willing to dedicate their lives for love and how they will manage to overcome the hurdles in front of them, the source told Daily NK.
Some viewers in the border region have criticized the show for being too far removed from reality. According to the source, some have asked: “South Korean society is about survival of the fittest, so how could someone give up their management [consultant] position at the company headquarters for love?”
At the same time, some viewers have taken issue with the closed nature of the North Korean regime, questioning why TV stations play nothing but old movies. Others point out that the country is unable to produce a single decent film because all the most attractive men and women are selected to attend Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts.
“Young people are curious and sensitive to new things, so the more that the central government or the Ministry of State Security tries to intensify ‘ideological control,’ the more they will rebel and dream of escaping the regime’s world of ideas,” the source told Daily NK.
On Aug. 13, Rodong Sinmun reported that “Our Republic is strong and dignified because the Party and all of society is unified together under a single ideology.” It went on to claim that “the fact that our society was able to achieve a monolithic ideology in the face of extreme interference and scheming from foreign powers is the greatest of all miracles.”
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