DP Drama Sparks Military Service Debate In South Korea

JAKARTA - The Korean drama Deserter Pursuit aka DP has become one of the most popular television series in South Korea since its premiere at the end of August. The drama is also airing on Netflix.

This series tells the story of military police who are assigned to catch deserters or soldiers who leave the army without permission while highlighting daily life while serving in the military, including mental and physical abuse from other soldiers.

Director Han Jun-hee said he was trying to tell a humane story of how the system made deserters victims and criminals, and the harm it inflicted on those forced to go on the hunt.

“DP is a story about tracking down a defector. But at the same time, this is a paradoxical story of looking for someone's poor son, brother or lover," Han said in a statement in an e-mail quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, September 15.

However, its broadcast sparked a debate in South Korea about the history of abuse scandals in the military and the policy of conscription for young men. DP Regarding the popularity of the series, a defense ministry spokesman said today the military environment has changed and the ministry has tried to eradicate harassment and abuse.

Last week the South Korean military announced it was planning to phase out a system that would allow high-ranking soldiers to track down deserting soldiers, even before the DP series aired. The changes take effect in July 2022.

Reactions to the DP series among former conscripts have been mixed. Some said the series reflected their experiences, while others said the depiction of abuse was overblown and some did not watch the DP series to prevent traumatic memories from resurfaced.

“There is a scene in DP where they throw combat boots (at soldiers). I experienced a lot of similar abuse. Now that I look back at the past, I feel it was unfair, but back then it was very common,” said Ma Joon-bin, who served in the military between 2013 and 2014.

Lee Jun-tae, who served from 2017 to 2019, said he had never experienced or heard of another colleague being abused during his military service. "There was no harsh treatment in my life," he said.

Last week, politician Lee Jae-myung called the story in the “DP” series the “barbaric history” of South Korea. Meanwhile, opposition party politician Hong Joon-pyo said he had experienced atrocities as a soldier and vowed to reconsider voluntary military service.

Meanwhile, pop culture critic Kim Hern-sik, who once served as DP, said efforts to end military service would not solve all problems if the broader military culture did not change.

"As long as there is military service, whether a conscription or voluntary system, problems cannot be avoided one way or another," Kim said.