K-Drama Flashback: Lee Min-ho Stands on The Forbidden ‘DMZ, The Wild’
The actor recounts a tale of tension on the border, unveiling an unknown, untamed world
Photo: Courtesy of MBC
The constrained demilitarized zone (DMZ), which is still under the covert surveillance of North and South Korean forces, is the subject of the 2017 documentary DMZ, The Wild by Kim Jin-man and Cho Sung-hyun. Although the DMZ is a region of land mines and barbed-wire barricades with no human habitation, it is home to some of the rarest animal and bird species, offering Korea’s splendor of nature in its rawest and most untainted form. In the documentary, South Korean icon Lee Min-ho documents and narrates his singular encounters while trekking across the planet’s largest subtropical primary woods, where the wild blends with remnants of human sorrow.
The four-part documentary series paints a picture of a lonely paradise. The DMZ, a military action zone that has remained impenetrable for years since the truce, and this military line that divides the North from the South make up the most significant facade of the Korean War, accounting for a majority of the conflict.
In the prelude to the first episode of the series, Kim Jin-man and Lee herald the dawn of an incredible adventure. In the opening segment, titled Endless War, Lee is in the wilderness, chronicling his observations. The second segment, The Guardians, centers on endangered aquatic and avian species and their coping mechanisms. Land of Coexistence, the concluding segment, portrays an encounter with the soldiers patrolling the hazardous frontier alongside members of a military unit on patrol, monitoring the line of demarcation, the region, and the animals.
You can see how the actor survives adverse conditions and other environmental obstacles while being in close proximity to untamed nature, which may be fatal. Reportedly, Lee worked on this project to raise awareness of the DMZ’s vulnerable biodiversity for a year and a half. The fact that this documentary takes place in a high-security zone that is continually scrutinized and where absolutely nobody is permitted to cross the volatile limit makes it vital to watch.
