Crash Landing on You also known as Love’s Emergency Landing) is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-eun, directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Kim Jung-hyun and Seo Ji-hye. It is about a South Korean chaebol heiress who, while paragliding in Seoul, South Korea, is swept up in a sudden storm, crash-lands in the North Korean portion of the DMZ, and meets a captain in the Korean People’s Army. Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries.
FULL STORY
Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is a South Korean chaebol heiress to the Queen’s Group. However, her existence threatens her elder half-brothers and she is intensely disliked by her stepmother so she steps away from the family business and successfully founds her own fashion and beauty company, Seri’s Choice, which makes her independently wealthy.
Se-ri’s father, who was recently released from jail and can no longer run the Queen’s Group, wants Se-ri to take over. He favors her over her brothers, whose leadership and skills are no match to her talent and business acumen.
As the Queen’s Group prepares to make the official announcement, Se-ri goes out paragliding to test her latest line of extreme sportswear and is caught in a sudden tornado, which blows her over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea, where she has a fateful encounter with Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin).
Desperate to go home, Se-ri escapes capture from Captain Ri and his four patrol officers and accidentally makes her way to his stationed village, where they meet again. He shields her from intelligence authorities led by Cho Cheol-gang (Oh Man-seok) who were alerted to the presence of an intruder.
Meanwhile, Se-ri’s elder brother Se-hyung (Park Hyung Soo) becomes chairman and his wife, Sang-ah (Yoon Ji-min), wants to take over Se-ri’s company. When Se-hyung hears from his North Korean contacts that his sister is still alive, he and his wife take active measures to prevent her from returning.
Captain Ri takes Se-ri into his own home and enlists the aid of his four officers to protect her from Cho Cheol-gang. He also makes plans to smuggle her back to South Korea. Their first attempt by boat fails miserably when they are spotted by the coast guard. On their second try, he helps Se-ri secure a slot on a North Korean team headed to Europe for a friendly games tournament. In between these efforts, she makes new friends in the village and begins to appreciate their old-fashioned, simpler ways of life.
Their plans are discovered, and Captain Ri is shot by Cho Cheol-gang’s men in a highway confrontation. Se-ri drives the badly injured Jeong-hyeok to the hospital, giving up her chance to flee. He recovers and is angry at her failed escape, but his anger turns to gratitude when he is told she donated blood that helped save his life. By this time, the two of them can no longer hide their growing feelings for each other.
Jeong-hyeok’s fiancé, Seo Dan (Seo Ji Hye), returns home from musical conservatory studies in Russia and discovers Jeong-hyeok is protecting Se-ri. She uncovers proof of Se-ri’s wealthy family background and reports this to Captain Ri’s father. To help his son and appease his future daughter-in-law’s family, Director Ri organizes a fake border patrol search for an alleged deserter. This provides cover for Se-ri, who is safely escorted by Jeong-hyeok and his men to a path across the DMZ line.
Sang-ah calls an emergency board meeting and asks the members to vote in favor of a merger between Seri’s Choice and Queen’s Group, but Se-ri arrives at the meeting just in time, halting the vote. She resumes control of the business and returns to her opulent but empty life, and finds herself missing Captain Ri and her time in North Korea.
Up north, Ri Jeong-hyeok finds mounting evidence of Cho Cheol-gang’s racketeering and direct involvement in his brother’s murder. Cheol-gang is brought to trial and found guilty, but successfully escapes on the way to prison. Jeong-hyeok realizes Cho Cheol-gang has crossed the border and sensing Se-ri’s life might be in danger, he follows in pursuit and also crosses the border via an underground tunnel.
Jeong-hyeok reunites with Se-ri, who builds a cover story for him as her new bodyguard and introduces him to the comforts of her luxurious life in Seoul. She connects with city gang members to help locate Cho Cheol-gang.
Director Ri sends his son’s men to retrieve Jeong-hyeok. After hiding out in an overnight jjimjilbang and a few near-encounters, Captain Ri and his men finally reunite. A grateful Se-ri takes care of them, providing them with food and shelter and sends them on a shopping spree.
Cheol-gang, alerted by Sang-ah of Se-ri’s residence, tries to capture her, but Jeong-hyeok’s team protects her. She is critically wounded in a confrontation between Cheol-gang and Jeong-hyeok, but survives. When Se-ri’s father learns about Se-hyung’s and Sang-ah’s misdeeds through a recording which was provided by Man-bok, he takes away the chairmanship from his son and kicks them out of the family. Se-hyung blames his wife for their situation and she decides to inform the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of Se-ri’s North Korean activities.
Cheol-gang is killed by the NIS, but Captain Ri and his company are detained. Jeong-hyeok takes full responsibility and lies to the authorities that he manipulated Se-ri for his own gain. This would absolve Se-ri and his company of all potential crimes. However, the NIS finds no incriminating behavior and even offers amnesty to the North Koreans and help to get settled in Seoul, but they decline and decide to return home. Both governments agree to a quiet prisoner exchange and Se-ri is exonerated of any crimes. Her stepmother, having reconciled with Se-ri, drives Se-ri at high speed to the exchange, where Se-ri gets to see Jeong-hyeok one last time before saying goodbye for good.
As Seung-jun is about to depart from North Korea, he learns that Dan is being held captive and he goes to save her. He succeeds but is shot. Dan professes her love during the ambulance ride but he dies in her arms. She grieves over his death and decides to avenge Seung-jun and catch the culprits. Ultimately, she finds evidence that Sang-ah and Se-hyung had used Cho Cheol-gang for their own purposes, which leads to their arrest by the joint task force of National Intelligence Service and the Seoul Police. Dan tells her parents that she will never marry and intends to continue her musical career.
Three years later, Se-hyung remains in jail and files for divorce. Se-ri continues managing Seri’s Choice and her other half-brother, Se-jun, is the Chairman of Queen’s Group, with the day-to-day business being handled by a professional CEO.