Is Sakhalin Island from The Recruit Season 2 a real place? Details explored 

The Recruit on Netflix was an even more thrilling ride in Season 2 than the first season, as we followed Noah Centineo's Owen Hendricks dealing with new challenges in the world of intelligence and the CIA. The spy thriller, which garnered appreciation from fans in its first season, explored fresh characters, plotlines and locations as Owen set out on new missions.

A significant location in the second season of The Recruit has been Sakhalin Island, where one of the characters, Nan Hee, is involved in protecting refugees. There has been a lot of speculation about the island among fans, with many questioning its authenticity and questioning if such a place actually exists.

To answer fans' questions, yes, Sakhalin Island exists in real life and is situated in the Pacific Ocean, north of Japan.

More details on Sakhalin Island

Sakhalin is a Russian island in the Pacific Ocean, located north of Japan. It also includes The Sakhalin Regional Museum, which is housed in a pagoda-style building in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the country's capital. A large paleontology collection and native artifacts are on exhibit on site, while the Chekhov Book Museum, located nearby, examines author Anton Chekhov's stay on the island. The Sakhalin Art Museum, set in a grand 1930s edifice, specializes in Russian paintings from the 19th century.

Mostly inhibited by Russians as of now, the Island also had a large number of Asian minorities. According to Wikipedia, after the Russo-Japanese War, the island was split in 1905, with Japan getting Southern Sakhalin. Japan took over Sakhalin's northern regions following the Siberian invasion, and from 1918 to 1925, dominated the entire island. Since capturing the Japanese part of the island in 1945, during the last days of World War II, Russia has controlled the island.

How is Sakhalin Island relevant to The Recruit Season 2?

A large part of The Recruit Season 2 is set in Seoul, South Korea. The second season follows Owen Hendricks as he works for Jang Kyun, a South Korean National Intelligence Service agent whose wife, Nan Hee, has been kidnapped. Nan Hee was a humanitarian working with the refugees of Sakhalin Island. To protect her secrets of philanthropic endeavors, she used to pay off mobsters so that they steered clear of her work. However, unbeknownst to her, the crypto she was using enabled the NIS to track her movements. This proved to be a major setback.

The series has ended with Owen leaving Jang Kyun with two options. Jang Kyun could either move to America along with his wife, where the U.S. government will provide him with financial support to start a new life while he leaves his original identity behind. Or, he could go back to Korea, where he will be accused of treason. Kyun chooses the former, setting up the plotline for the third season.

The Recruit season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.