Hunt is on for military deserters in new K-drama D.P.
MANILA, Philippines — The military is a recurring theme in K-dramas, but the stars of D.P. promised something unique and different in their Netflix original series that tackles South Korea’s mandatory military service. Leading the cast of the six-episode, action-packed show are Jung Hae-in (Something In The Rain), Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula) and Kim Sung-kyun (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo).
D.P. follows “undercover” members of D.P. — short for Deserter Pursuit — the military police unit that tracks down and arrests soldiers who commit desertion or absence without leave (AWOL). In doing so, they also deal with the realities of young enlistees.
The series is based on a webtoon by Kim Bo-tong that gained 10 million views and earned praise for its “realistic portrayal of the brutal violence and human rights violations committed in the military.” As per synopsis, D.P. aims to show the tension and thrill of hunting down deserters from the perspective of “soldiers catching soldiers,” at the same time, shine a light on the mental torment and growth of young people required to serve in the military. In case you don’t know, conscription laws in South Korea require able-bodied male citizens, between ages 18 and 28, to render about 18 months of active duty in the armed forces.
The STAR recently attended a virtual press junket and had a brief exclusive interview with the actors to know more about what sets D.P. apart from other military-themed K-dramas.
Director Han Jun-hee (Coin Locker Girl), who also graced the presscon, had been wanting to bring this webtoon to the screen for five to six years now. He said, “What was most important for me was what kind of stories could be portrayed through this series. Young men in their early 20s all go serve in the military and I think people can really resonate with the story and put themselves in the shoes of the characters.”
The director disclosed that the webtoon’s creator Kim Bo-tong and some production team members had served in the real-life D.P. unit, and that being able to get together and talk about their past experiences proved helpful in making the series more realistic.
For actor Kim Sung-kyun, the story was exciting and original from the first time he read it.
“Yeah, there have been many dramas with the theme of the military. But D.P. stands out and that’s because it portrays enlistees who go after other enlistees who went AWOL. I think this is very ironic and something that makes D.P. stands out,” Sung-kyun told The STAR.
How much did they know about the existence of the D.P. unit prior to doing the series?
Sung-kyun said, “I knew that there were military police who went after soldiers who broke the guidelines or laws of the military, but the series was the first opportunity for me to learn about the D.P. unit.”
As for Jung Hae-in, “The term ‘D.P.’ is not something you hear often. I knew of it when I served in the military, but I got to learn more about them through the webtoon and through filming the series.”
Koo Kyo-hwan added, “Some people who had experience being in a D.P. unit actually reached out to me and I was able to meet them over a meal.”
It appeared the cast also enjoyed the filming process due to the camaraderie they built on set.
Sung-kyun likened the experience to hanging out with elementary school friends. “When you’re young, you just laugh and crack jokes at everything. That’s what it was like on set,” he added.
Kyo-hwan also noted, “What’s interesting is that we not only had camaraderie between the actors, but we also had camaraderie with the production staff and became really good friends with them. They’re the first viewers of the series since they’re on the set and they gave us a lot of feedback.”
Hae-in, on the other hand, felt he was in the company of older brothers. “They (the cast) felt like big brothers to me and as if I had known them for a long time. Even after we were done filming the series, I wanted to see them again and meet them again. I felt like I was at home and comfortable every time I saw them. Shooting was so much fun.”
What viewers can also look forward to in this show is its comedic element, courtesy of the shared scenes and “buddy cop” moments of Kyo-hwan and Hae-in.
Asked about their onscreen “bromance,” Hae-in gushed about the humor of his co-star to The STAR: “I really liked how he is very witty, and he has a very great sense of humor. He’s a very funny guy. So every time I went to the shoot, I really looked forward to it.”
He also shared that Kyo-hwan is “amazing at ad-libbing” and would be so funny that he couldn’t help but “break character” and “once I break into laughter on set, I tend to have a hard time getting back into character.”
Hae-in added, “And I think humor means that the person thinks about the other first before saying something funny. So even in his humor, I could feel that he really respected me so that we could really get along person to person.”
For Kyo-hwan, he believed that they were destined to work together on a project.
“I actually ran into (Jung Hae-in) a lot, coincidentally,” he said during the presscon. “We kept bumping into each other, so I think the universe wanted us together. We would bump into each other at film festivals and we used to say that we wanted to be a part of director Han Jun-hee ’s works.”
Kyo-hwan further told The STAR about why they clicked. “We didn’t intend to build chemistry. But if you found our (tandem) to be very funny and good, I think that probably means that we had respect for each other and we were good people to each other. So, I think that naturally showed through the series.”
D.P. is now streaming on Netflix.
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