I'm relieved it's a movie instead of a long, heavy, dark, and emotionally draining drama.

So now he's Belgian? Silly me, I thought he was Italian *cough*Vincenzo*cough*

We are coveting Korean movies now on Dramabeans? Or just movies by Song Joong-ki?

It should be a great teaming up of Song Joong-ki and Choi Song-eun, whose nuanced performance as a trauma survivor in Beyond Evil is among the finest performances by newbies in recent times.

This looks really dark and heavy and depressing, I’ll pass.

Looking forward to this!

Even the trailer was a hard watch. I hope I can find 2 hours where I can handle this.

Song Jong Ki drama/movie are mostly dark lately so I skip most of it :(
or is it because of his age? I feel the same with Lee Dong Wook and Goong Yoo. I missed their bright and funny drama in Dots and Goblin.

"... where do you go when the country you sought asylum in refuses to take you?"

That's easy. Go from Belgium to France and cross the Channel in a dinghy to the UK. Tried and tested, hundreds do it every week.

I wonder why he went to Belgium, so far from Asia. Was there no place culturally closer to him along the way? And what can he give Belgium that would make them want to have him there? Europe is not a land of honey, the reality here is no more beautiful than anywhere else. Due to too many illegal immigrants, right-wing sentiments are gaining more and more supporters in Europe and people are on the verge of doing very unpleasant things. Many dream of eliminating the left from political life to stop destroying countries with a lack of proper leadership. What is happening in many European countries, and from their point of view, sob stories about poor immigrants only annoy them and do not evoke sympathy.

I was gonna watch this for the romance but on second thought it seems like a huge downer.

The book, called I Met Loh Kiwan, is excellent - it certainly has some dark and heartbreaking elements, but also some that are hopeful and thought-provoking. It deals with many of the questions raised here (although of course there's no guarantee the movie adaptation will) and it treats the characters and their desperate situations with a compassion and humanity notably absent from some of the comments above. I hope the movie manages to convey that same mix and doesn't just sensationalize the story.

I will definitely watch as it is a story that has some resemblance with my dad and my life. 
As I have lived in a similar authotarian dictatorship country my whole childhood, I can guess why he ended up in Belgium. There were few ways you can escape. You could cross the border but expose yourself to getting killed or worse, being caught, gettin beat and jailed for many years. Another one is go to a friendly neiboring comunist country that has laxer borders with a non-comunist one that you could cross. Or, the best scenario, be an athlete going to a competition, artist (think of balerinas going on tpur for example) or on diplomatic missions (the only ones allowed to go to non-comunist countries) and ask for a a political asylum in the country that you are sent. I can tell you that my dad first tried the second one and was unsuccesful. After many years of planning, he was able to defect through the first example. In those times, because there were so many comunist countries, there were political camps set up where the refugees were placed in until they were allowed to leave to the country where they wanted, but they still needed a "sponsor" in that one that would "provide" for a time until they issued their legal papers. My dad spent almost two years in those camps, first in the country that he escaped and after was transfered in a more western one. His sponsor was one of the relatives that was able to escape when my dad couldn't during his first try. I remember that for a long time he couldn't eat rice and chicken anymore, since that was all that he was given during that time. And I still look at some pictures of him and other all shaved up, probably due to unhealthy conditions in those camps.
I do understand and sympathize with NK people that are trapped and have to live in such a country. They are not like the ones that leave their country for economic reasons only. Or even because for war, although I feel for their trauma, because in most cases they have enjoyed at least freedom until that point in most cases. Freedom to speak, freedom to travel, freedom to have your own opinions or even to choose your own future and career without the fear of being persecuted or watched are more important than anything to me. Sure it is hard to not have economic well being, but in those countries that is a given, because even the bare necesities were scarce and each family had a given ammount per month that could be bought. Also, most of these immigrants are thankful of the oportunity given and very respectful of the country and people that gave them those freedoms, in my opinion.

Aw man this seems really dark and heartbreaking- will likely pass, but SJK's acting skills are really good and he rarely gets roles that challenge him and bring out the versatility in him. I was very impressed with 'A Werewolf Boy', so its a bit tempting. Will likely reassess after the reviews come in!