THE JUNTA JUST loves to poke around in our personal lives, but few will label Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha a dictator just for making recommendations regarding our TV viewing.

At least it’s not some dreary show full of brass bands and sermonising – although it does tend to wave the flag rather a lot. The generalissimo says he’s seen the South Korean series “Descendants of the Sun” on TrueVisions Channel 232 and thinks Thai television producers would do well to emulate it.

Thais don’t need much encouraging when it comes to tuning in to South Korean TV dramas, and that includes “Descendants”, a hit for South Korean broadcaster KBS World. More than a billion people have seen it online.

Prayut suggested producers try something different like that, instead of the usual clich้-ridden plots endlessly repeated in Thai soaps, all sappy love and jealous rages.

The public’s initial surprise at the PM’s TV coaching segued into cheeky criticism, along the lines of “What’s a mighty warrior like him doing watching a soap opera made for women?” Maybe it’s because the protagonist is an army captain, someone surmised.

Captain Yoo Si-jin (played by Song Jungki) and lady doctor Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hyekyo) are members of a peacekeeping force in the fictional land of Uruk. Their romance is central to the plot, but there’s also plenty of primetime devoted to their circumstances in a foreign land, their careers, their duties and the fact that they have clashing views on almost all of these.

There’s something in the series that appeals to national leaders, and we’re betting it’s the flags. On Tuesday South Korean President Park Geun-hye was gabbing about the show with her top aides, Yonhap news agency reports. She thought it could be another great international pitch for Korean culture (as if the world doesn’t get enough of that already, thanks very much). This is the first South Korean drama to be aired simultaneously in China, she noted.

“Good cultural content can not only have economic and cultural value, but also contribute to the revitalisation of our tourism,” Park is quoted as saying. And this show’s also a dandy marketing tool for patriotism, she added.

Of course – and quite apart from Prayut‘s frequent television appearances – Thailand isn’t exactly suffering for lack of patriotic viewing. A generation has grown up alongside the mighty movie franchises of director MC Chatrichalerm Yukol, the Siamese warrior epics “Suriyothai” and “The Legend of King Naresuan”.

And on television the latest series to premiere, just last week, is surely one for PM Prayut‘s heart. “Jao Weha”, airing on True4U Channel 24 every Monday and Tuesday, has big stars Jessadaporn Pholdee, Atichart Chummanon and Andrew Gregson playing officers in the Air Force, Navy and Army, respectively.

When it comes to patriotism, Chief, we’ve already enlisted!