Junta chief calls on Thais to view ‘patriotic’ Korean drama

BANGKOK: A hit South Korean drama about a guntoting soldier saving lives in a far away land has won over Thailand’s mercurial junta chief, who yesterday called on citizens to watch the show.

Former army chief turned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-OCha seized power in a 2014 coup and has often portrayed himself as an officer duty-bound to save Thailand from years of political chaos, even penning two pop songs and commissioning a series of short films to spread his patriotic message.

Now he has urged Thais to watch 'Descendants of the Sun', a drama that is winning over scores of viewers in South Korea, China, Japan and beyond.

“What I have seen is that they have inserted a sense of patriotism, sacrifice, obeying orders and being a dutiful citizen,” he told delegates at a government function yesterday morning.

“So please watch it and if anyone wants to make such a drama I will financially sponsor it to make people love government officials, uncorrupted officials and make the Thai people love each other,” he added.

The so-called Hallyu (Korean Wave) of TV shows and pop music has conquered most of Asia and, in recent years, found new, devoted fans in the Middle East, Latin America and North Africa.

“Descendants of the Sun” tells the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission to a distant fictional country, battling shady henchmen to save his love interest. — AFP