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The latest Netflix original K-Drama, D.P., is a brilliant representation of how potent the cycle of abuse within the military in South Korea is. The show uses deserters -- men who abandon their posts and run away before their term is completed -- to paint a picture of dark reality. Bullying coupled with physical and mental abuse by seniors are the main reasons individuals desert the army.
However, the show doesn't just portray one aspect of being a deserter. It uses Jung Hae-in's character Jun-ho as an officer who pursues such deserters. From his perspective the audience met men who were desperate, scared and had hit the lows of life.
Through Jun-ho and his partner Ho-yeol (Koo Gyo-hwan), viewers understood why it was necessary to understand the struggles of such men instead of passing it off as a moment's mistake.
D.P., consisting of six episodes, ended on a note that left audiences bitter. The truth was that one man's sacrifice might not change the world, and it is this truth that hits harder towards the end than anything.
Who is Suk-bong in D.P.?
Suk-bong (Cho Hyun-cheol) is one of Jun-ho and Ho-yeol's team members. He is Jun-ho's senior and had always accepted the abusive norms set by his seniors without complaint. He was physically abused, mentally traumatized and not one person questioned the officer who put Suk-bong through all of this.
Instead, the bully seemed to have more power over him and as days passed, the peace-loving man turned into a violent monster who was incapable of thinking rationally. Everything became a trigger, and every move scared him. As a victim, he suffered too much at the hands of his senior and the more his bully was guarded, the more unstable Suk-bong became.
On the last day of his bully's term in the army in D.P., Suk-bong had asked him to apologize for everything that he had done. Again, it is very important to understand that bullying here is not simple. It was targeted. Suk-bong was at the receiving end of such seniors' wrath.
From using a lighter to burn his pubic hair, to using fists on him as if he were a punching bag -- the things that Suk-bong went through would break any individual's spirit and sanity. That is exactly what happened to Suk-bong in D.P.
Why were Jun-ho and Ho-yeol forced to pursue Suk-bong in D.P.?
Jun-ho and Ho-yeol are the two D.P. officers that served under Sergeant Park Beom-gu. Their responsibility was to track deserters and bring them back. Depending on the severity of deserters' actions, they were punished or left to complete the rest of their term.
Jun-ho and Ho-yeol handled an array of cases, each depicting deserters in different situations in the initial episodes of D.P. This gave the audience an idea of what to expect. However, at the end of each case, there was a sense of happy ending. This was in contradiction to how things played out in the finale.
When one of their own, especially a member of a military police team who was expected to keep other soldiers in check, deserted, they had to take up the case. Jun-ho and Ho-yeol were both aware of how Suk-bong had been ostracized and tormented. So their intention was always to ensure that Suk-bong would return safe and sound.
When Jun-ho realized that Suk-bong intended on exacting revenge, he knew that he had to stop his senior from doing as he had planned. Over the final two episodes of. D.P., Beom-gu, Jun-ho and Ho-yeol chased after Suk-bong but missed him multiple times. Once, they had managed to capture him, but he was mentally unstable and managed to escape after causing an accident.
Did Suk-bong's sacrifice change anything in D.P.?
Suk-bong managed to kidnap his bully to teach him a lesson. He ensured that he found just the spot for this exercise. When the cops, his own team and the D.P. officers found out where he had held the hostage, it was shocking. He had returned to the base where he had served with the bully.
Not many knew that there was a cave of sorts, and Suk-bong chose to use the spot as a form of irony. In the end, just when he got ready to pull the trigger and shoot his bully dead, Ho-yeol managed to calm him down.
Jun-ho also reminded Suk-bong of the person he used to be in D.P., the students that he had taught and for just a moment, Suk-bong seemed capable of giving up on revenge. However, the Captain of the base, who is portrayed as a bloody thirsty man who wants nothing but war, ended up framing Suk-bong as a terrorist.
He even forced Suk-bong's fellow officers to pull the trigger if necessary and kill Suk-bong. So when a team of officers surrounded Suk-bong, he was overwhelmed. He also received a heartfelt apology from his bully and in his final moments, all he had hoped was for a change.
He didn't expect it, in fact he was sure that nothing would change just like their water canteens which were made in 1953. The army has been the same toxic place for many men since the war, is what he meant. Yet, he had hoped. It was this hope that led to him shooting himself dead.
Of course, Jun-ho was extremely disturbed by this. He was disturbed enough to run away in the end. Whether he became a deserter in D.P., or if it was just a momentary escape, D.P. let's the audience make their own conclusion. There is also no change in the way that men treated each other and bullied someone.
This striking representation of what life in the army is like for many men made D.P. engaging and intriguing until the very end.
Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.
