A new South Korean television drama about a doctor trapped in North Korea is proving popular with university students in Pyongyang, according to Daily NK sources.

The SBS show Dr Stranger follows the life of a famous South Korean doctor brought to North Korea with his son to save Kim Il-sung’s life – but then prevented from returning. It is only after the father’s death that the son finally makes it back to Seoul.

“Some parts, like the bit where surgery is performed on the Suryeong [Kim Il-sung], are just not the reality we know, and we find them odd. But still, many people say it’s a fun show,” the source said.

Though the number of North Koreans watching South Korean TV has reduced because of recent crackdowns, it is still possible for some – including Party officials and those with social capital – to watch them in secret. Bribery remains a viable means of evading punishment, too.

"The popularity of Stranger among university students is not waning," the source said. "No matter how much [authorities] try to step up the crackdowns, there are already many people for whom watching South Korean dramas is part of life. In fact, it is Party officials, their children and students who are driving the popularity."

"Group 109 [which is responsible for controlling 'anti-socialist' activities] don’t visit the homes of officials much," she said. "And if students do get caught watching this kind of thing, they can normally get away with a bribe. They just confiscate the CD and tell them not to say where they watched it."



According to inside sources, it is unusual for North Koreans to buy copied DVDs. Instead, they tend to be borrowed for roughly half the purchase price – which is roughly the same price as a kilo of rice in a public market.

Although there are fewer smuggled goods entering North Korea, the cross-border flow has not been completely halted. "Smugglers say that they are currently able to bring in less than half the 1,000-3,000 discs per day that had been the case," the source said. "But that is still not nothing. There is no way they can stop the flow completely because it is Party officials who keep wanting to get hold of them."

In 2012 and 2013, another South Korean drama, The King Two Hearts, which depicted the North Korean military, also attracted a following in parts of North Korea.