PETALING JAYA, April 3 — South Korean actor Hyun Bin won’t be sweeping any real North Korean women off their feet anytime soon, according to defector and YouTuber Park Yoo-sung.
Hyun Bin has been in the spotlight for playing charismatic North Korean army captain Ri Jeong-hyuk in Netflix’s Crash Landing on You, but Park said he felt “suspicious” of the drama’s portrayal of the star as a dashing heartthrob.
Park, who runs a YouTube channel called North Korean Man, said Hyun Bin’s lean and tall frame isn’t likely to steal any hearts in the hermit kingdom.
“For North Korean men, having a big frame is associated with beauty. People who are skinny like me are treated worse than dogs.
“It’s a bit suspicious that a North Korean would say Hyun Bin is handsome (in the show),” Park said in one of his recent videos, based on translations from Allkpop.
Park added that North Koreans with big bellies command respect and inspire fear amongst their fellow citizens as their chubby physique is a sign of wealth.
“There is no such thing as dieting in North Korea and only people from rich families have bellies that stick out.
“That’s why North and South Korean beauty standards are so different.”
Park pointed out that North Koreans are more likely to fawn over Korean-American actor Ma Dong-seok thanks to his robust figure.
The young defector also claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un put on the pounds so he could gain the trust of high-ranking officials in the upper echelons of Pyongyang.
