Warning: Minor spoilers for My Name is Loh Kiwan.
My Name is Loh Kiwan tells the story of a North Korean defector as he tries to build a new life in China and then Belgium, raising the question of whether the Netflix Korean movie is based on a true story. My Name is Loh Kiwan marks the directorial debut of Kim Hee-jin and stars Song Joong-ki (Vincenzo) as the titular character, Choi Sung-eun (The Sound of Magic) as co-lead character Lee Marie, and Cho Han-cheul (who was recently in Gyeongseong Creature season 1) as Lee Youn-sung, Lee Marie’s father.
Loh Kiwan flees from North Korea with his mother and arrives in China, where his struggles as an immigrant begin. One of the most interesting releases in Netflix’s 2024 K-content slate, My Name is Loh Kiwan is an emotional story whose titular character audiences quickly connect to. The movie also follows the journey Lee Marie, a former athlete whom Loh meets in Belgium. Lee is also struggling to find her place in the world following a personal tragedy. Their journeys bring them together in this character-driver Korean film streaming on Netflix.
My Name is Loh Kiwan Is Not Based On A True Story
Loh Kiwan’s journey in Netflix’s My Name is Loh Kiwan is not based on a true story. While the film deals with the journey of an immigrant in a country unfamiliar to him, which is something millions of people deal with every day, Netflix’s newest movie is not inspired by any specific person or event. Likewise, even though there are examples of North Korean defectors and their journeys in other countries, Loh Kiwan is not directly based on any of them. It is a fictional story based on a short novel.
My Name is Loh Kiwan Cast | |
|---|---|
Actor | Character |
Song Joong-ki | Loh Kiwan |
Choi Sung-eun | Lee Marie |
Cho Han-cheul | Lee Youn-sung |
Lee Sang-hee | Kim Seon-ju |
Seo Hyun-woo | Ri Eun-cheol |
Naturally, when researching the film, director Kim Hee-jin must likely have taken into consideration real-life cases and events to add more depth to My Name is Loh Kiwan. Still, despite the sensible nature of the topic, My Name is Loh Kiwan focuses more on the experiences and challenges faced by its titular character in China and Belgium rather than in the political and military context of Korea. The film is told from the perspective of an immigrant throughout an emotional quest. My Name is Loh Kiwan also includes a love story between Loh and Lee.
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My Name is Loh Kiwan Is Based On A Book
Although My Name is Loh Kiwan is not inspired by a true story, the movie is based on a short novel from 2011, Cho Haejin’s I Met Loh Kiwan. The book, which is 136 pages long, is told from the perspective of Kim, who writes for a South Korean TV show. After learning about Loh Kiwan’s story on TV, Kim begins to investigate his story as they narrate his discoveries. Netflix’s My Name is Loh Kiwan adaptation uses the same storytelling device, although the movie makes sure to put Loh Kiwan’s perspective front and center to make the story as personal as possible.
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