The streaming giant Netflix continues its pursuit to produce a healthy bank of original content as it unveiled a lineup of upcoming movies and series. The next item in the list of upcoming releases this week is “D.P.”, Netflix new original K-drama series.
The highly promising Korean drama series stars Jung Hae In, Koo Kyo Hwan, Son Sok Ku and Kim Sung Kyun. It centres on an army private An Jun Ho (Jung Hae In) who ends up being assigned as a member of the Deserter Pursuit (D.P.) unit. Jun Ho joins his senior Han Ho Yeol (Koo Kyo Hwan) who teaches him the ropes of how to catch military deserters. The series follows the duo’s journey in tracking down military deserters and encounters the realities of confused young soldiers.
To get you hyped up for the premier of the drama series, we’ve listed down 9 fun facts that prove “D.P.” is a must-watch series. Have a read here:
1. “D.P.” is based on a webtoon “D.P. Dog’s Day” by Kim Bo Tong
The series is based on a Korean webtoon series “D.P. Dog’s Day” (개의 날) written and illustrated by Kim Bo Tong in 2015. The webtoon garnered over 10 million views for its refreshing theme of Deserter Pursuit unit and realistic depiction of human rights violation and brutal violence perpetrated in the military.
Speaking about the drama adaptation, Director Han Jun Hee shared that he wanted “D.P.” to be a story that people could resonate with. He revealed, “In the webtoon, Jun Ho is a corporal but when I thought of this series, I wanted people to resonate with the story and I wanted them to consider Jun-ho as a friend who just started his military service.”
Director Han Jun Hee added, “This was something I really wanted to tell the story of, so for five to six years I wanted to bring this webtoon onto the screen. There were some social issues incorporated in the series. In the webtoon, it was dark and deep. We want to make sure it was scalable to be brought to screen. We put emphasis on Kim Bo Tong’s perspective.”
2. D.P. is a South Korean military police unit
The title “D.P.” is the name of the military police unit and is short for deserter pursuit who chase after soldiers who have gone AWOL. The unit is different from other military soldiers as they have to go undercover and be outside of the military base in search for the deserters.
When asked about the series, Director Han Jun Hee revealed, “D.P. is a story about the unit who arrests military deserters. They are undercover. They can grow their hair and wear civilian clothes. It’s their story of their pursuit of military deserters. You’ll be able to see personal stories of those who have deserted the army and you’ll be able to see the growth of the two main characters, Jun Ho and Ho Yeol.”
Jung Hae In, who played the character An Jun Ho shared, “They may not seem like military soldiers since they’re undercover and they’re outside the military base and in the civilian world searching for army deserters. They sometimes grow their hair long, they dye their hair, wear sunglasses and they’re definitely undercover. They might be too obvious if they were dressed like soldiers.”
3. D.P. Unit is not widely known even amongst some of the cast
While it is compulsory for male citizens in South Korea to serve in the military, the Deserter Pursuit Unit is not widely recognised by the general public. When asked if they were aware of the D.P. unit beforehand, some of the cast members admitted that they weren’t familiar with it.
Actor Son Suk Ku revealed that he was not familiar with the deserter police unit while Jung Hae In admitted to knowing about them when he served in the military himself. Actor Kim Sung Kyun added, “I knew 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 more about the D.P. unit.”
4. Son Suk Su and Koo Kyo Hwan’s characters were not in the original webtoon
In the drama adaptation, aside from altering An Jun Ho’s (Jung Hae In) rank, new characters which are not originally from the webtoon were added to the series including the character of Han Ho Yeol (portrayed by Koo Kyo Hwan) and Captain Lim Ji Seop (played by actor Son Suk Ku).
Son Suk Ku on his character said that, “I’m not an enlistee, I portray Captain Lim Ji Seop . Kim Sung Kyun plays the role of Sergeant Park Beom Gu and we’re always at odds. This series will remind you of your desire for promotions and other desires while working in society.”
5. “D.P.” cast showcases great camaraderie
With a proportionately male-dominated cast, the actors attested to the special bond they forged on and off the screen. Son Suk Su affirmed their bond, “Every time I went to film, I felt like it was really realistic and it felt like a real squad room and military base to me.” Actor Kim Sung Kyun added that “It was like hanging out with friends when we were filming” and Koo Kyo Hwan asserted that “We became a big family.”
The cast especially have a soft spot for their youngest or maknae Jung Hae In as Kim Sung Kyun expressed wanting to buy a hearty meal for him and Koo Kyo Hwan cutely joked wanting to date Jung Hae In. Son Suk Ku confessed that his decision to join D.P. is because of the Jung Hae In and Koo Kyo Hwan duo.
Jung Hae In added, “I felt like the cast are big brothers to me and that I’ve known them for a long time.” He vocally shared that Kim Sung Kyun is the glue that binds them all together on set and he learned a lot from the senior cast member.
6. Solid and talented lead cast
The series includes a line up of main cast members that are all known for their talent and memorable character portrayals. From Jung Hae In who is popular with her sweet roles and Koo Kyo Hwan who has been termed as a rising star since his notable performances including “Peninsula”, “Maggie” and more.
Likewise, the cast also includes a total chameleon actor Kim Sung Kyun who is known for his diverse roles in both films and series alongside Son Suk Ku who charms viewers with unique characters each time. In addition to the stellar casts, there will be many exciting cameos to look forward to.
7. Jung Hae In underwent boxing training for his character An Jun Ho
Jung Hae In is well-known for romantic characters in many of his previous roles. In “D.P.”, the popular actor will be portraying a different role that he promised will be an exciting aspect that viewers can look forward to. In order to fully capture the essence of Jun-ho’s character, Jung Hae In boxed for three months prior to filming.
“Director Han and the martial arts director wanted to make sure there were no cuts during action scenes and they wanted to film many one-take shots. Actor Lee Jun Young is also in the series, and we trained really hard for three months,” the actor remarked when asked regarding his preparation for the role. He added, “I had a lot of conversations with Director Han to make sure I could portray Jun Ho in a way that really resonates with viewers. I hope viewers can follow Jun Ho’s footsteps as he enlists and feel how he felt.”
8. Lead actors’ exceptional commitment to their role
The actors affirmed easily suiting up to their roles as all the characters have their own charms that viewers can relate with. Their efforts to get into their characters are certainly commendable as Koo Kyo Hwan shared his meeting with real Deserter Pursuit unit members first hand for his character. He shared, “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.”
Son Suk Ku also made preparations for his role, Captain Lim Ji Seop, an elite captain who is often with Kim Sung Kyun’s Park Beom Gu character who led D.P. ‘s duo. Son Suk Su revealed, “My character plays tennis often. I visited my army platoon leader to get a grasp of my character. I got a lot of advice and I want to take this chance to thank my platoon leader.”
9. Humorous bromance between the “D.P.” duo
While the storyline and the subject matter of pursuing military deserters may seem very dark and heavy, “D.P.” balances the tone with its fun and comedic side. Viewers can look forward to the humorous moments and ‘bromantic’ chemistry between An Jun Ho and Han Ho Yeol. Ho Yeol’s character in particular will make you laugh with his hilarious commentary and unique methods. While Jun Ho is dumbfounded by Ho Yeol’s quirky personality at first, they soon become in tune with each other and grow into being a great duo.
Director Han Jun Hee ensures that the chemistry between the D.P. members portrayed by Jung Hae In and Koo Kyo Hwan are to watch for. Koo Kyo Hwan shared how he often crossed paths with Jung Hae In citing that, “We kept bumping into each other, so I think the universe wanted us together.” When asked about his chemistry with Koo Kyo Hwan, Jung Hae In revealed, “If I were to give us points, I would give myself a 5 and Koo Kyo Hwan a 5, so together we have a 10 out of 10 for chemistry.”
Watch the trailer here:
Don’t miss out on catching “D.P.” on Netflix starting this week (Friday, 27th August)!
