My Name Is Loh Kiwan: Ending explained and Part 2 renewal possibilities explored

Netflix's original film, My Name Is Loh Kiwan, starring South Korean actor Song Joong-ki, released on March 1, 2024. The movie explores the unexpected friendship between a North Korean defector and a former shooting athlete who resorted to drugs.

Kim Hee-jin's feature directorial debut stars Song Joong-ki, Choi Sung-eun, and Cho Han-cheul as titular characters. The movie addresses the sensitive issue of the harsh reality of refugees seeking asylum across the world.

The conclusion of My Name Is Loh Kiwan leaves viewers with two questions: Did Loh Kiwan get asylum in Belgium after surviving treacherous odds and defecting from North Korea? And, did he and Mari receive the ending they deserved?

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My Name Is Loh Kiwan sheds light on the plight of refugees

Adapted from the novel I Met Loh Kiwan by author Cho Hae-jin, the film My Name Is Loh Kiwan narrates the tale of a North Korean boy who escaped from his homeland and fled to China to seek asylum.

Meanwhile, China's People's Police are hunting for Kiwan for brawling at his workplace. Kiwan is forced to hide in the tiny apartment while his mother works as a waiter to make ends meet.

However, on the fateful night of his birthday, the police track down his mother and question her about Loh Kiwan. Unaware that her son is standing just outside the back door of the restaurant, his mother denies knowing him.

In a tragic turn of events, Kiwan and his mother attempt to flee from the police, but she is struck by a truck and tragically killed on the street. Later, he learns from his uncle that his mother's corpse was sold to the hospital for pennies.

Learning this, Kiwan becomes suicidal, but his uncle intervenes and hands him a wallet full of blood-stained cash, the last remnants of his mother. Holding onto this painful memento, Kiwan embarks on a journey to Belgium.

Portrayed by Song Joong-ki in My Name Is Loh Kiwan, Kiwan arrives at Brussels airport in Belgium with a forged passport.

The movie moves as Kiwan goes to the Belgian embassy's reception facility to begin the formal process of requesting asylum. He is left baffled and helpless when he receives a court hearing date in February of the next year, where he has to prove his nationality as a North Korean defector.

Since the legal process proves to be lengthy, Kiwan is left with little alternative but to roam the streets of Belgium in search of employment and shelter. After spending several nights at a public toilet, eating from a dustbin, getting beaten up by Belgian teenage thugs, and falling into a river accidentally, Loh Kiwan arrives at a laundry shop shivering and drenched.

Loh Kiwan passes out inside the laundry shop due to the chilling cold and exhaustion. He wakes up the next day, realizing that his wallet has been stolen.

Here, the Netflix movie introduces Lee Mari—played by South Korean actress Choi Sung-eun—a former shooting athlete. In My Name Is Loh Kiwan, Mari is seen as a drug addict who loathes her father and has become acquainted with an unscrupulous Belgian dealer.

Her life continues to worsen after learning that her father has euthanized (mercy-killed) her mother. This results in her resorting to drugs to soothe her agony, as she is unable to move on from the loss of her mother.

As Loh Kiwan discovers that Mari has stolen his mother's wallet from him, he locates her and begs her to return it. Moved by Kiwan's pleas, she agrees to return it only if he withdraws the police complaint against her. Kiwan agrees, only to realize that Mari no longer has his wallet.

The plot of My Name Is Loh Kiwan progresses as Mari strikes a deal with her Belgian dealer and works for him as a shooter in rigged matches to get back the wallet that she had initially sold him.

In the meantime, the duo develops affection and a strong bond with one another, and Kiwan helps her get over her addiction.

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What happened to Loh Kiwan's refugee status and Mari in My Name Is Loh Kiwan?

Meanwhile, the film showed that in rigged matches, Cyril—the intimidating bar owner and drug dealer with connections to illegal gambling—took advantage of Mari's shooting prowess.

As the narrative of the Netflix movie My Name Is Loh Kiwan unfolds, Kiwan faces trial to avoid deportation and learns that Mari was abducted by Cyril.

When Kiwan miraculously locates Mari, a combat scene ensues that ends with Mari's boss dead. The duo then fled the scene, dodging gunfire and evading pursuit by their assailants.

They reveal their love for each other at the airport as Kiwan tries to send Mari off to Amsterdam for her safety. In an emotionally cathartic scene, Kiwan promised Mari to come find her one day.

My Name Is Loh Kiwan portrays Song Joong-ki's character working as a waiter in a restaurant to earn money. He eventually attained Belgian citizenship after proving himself to be a North Korean defector.

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My Name Is Loh Kiwan ends on a heartfelt note about him giving up his Belgian citizenship and refugee status as he sets out for Amsterdam to get reunited with Mari. As far as it is understandable, Kim Hee-jin's directorial feature debut will not have a second installment.