"If adults are afraid of children, the world is doomed" ... the rise of 'Teach You a Lesson'

[Financial News] "I teach those who listen with words, and those who only listen when beaten by beating them if necessary. If adults are afraid of children, the world is doomed."
That is a line delivered by Na Hwa-jin, an inspector at the fictional School Rights Protection Bureau, in the Netflix drama "Teach You a Lesson." The series has become a global sensation, reaching No. 1 among Netflix's non-English TV shows just three days after its release. It has topped the charts in more than 40 countries and directly tackles education-related issues in Korean society, including school violence, violations of teachers' authority, and malicious complaints.■ From the death of a Seoi Elementary School teacher to youth gambling ... an uncomfortable reality"Teach You a Lesson" is a 10-episode series based on the WEBTOON of the same name. It is a school action and social drama that follows the work of the School Rights Protection Bureau, an agency created to restore order to a broken education system. From the Busan middle school girl group assault case, which reignited debate over the juvenile offender system, to the death of a Seoi Elementary School teacher, school violence involving a lawyer's son, the Sookmyung Girls' High School exam paper leak scandal, and youth gambling and drug problems, the series brings to mind many of the incidents that have made headlines in recent years.
Although some critics say it could glorify corporal punishment and violent solutions, each episode channels public anger into a fantasy of retribution, earning the show a reputation as a so-called "soda drama" that follows in the footsteps of "Taxi Driver." Kim Mu-yeol, the lead actor, has also gained the nickname "the Korean John Cena" among overseas viewers, after the American professional wrestler and actor.
Praise from foreign media followed. The U.S. business magazine Forbes said the show "moves viewers through the voices of victims and makes them angry at a reality where justice has disappeared," adding that it is "one of the smartest and most addictive 'soda dramas' released this year."
Online in Korea, the reaction has been just as intense, from opinion leaders to parents. One viewer living in a school district in Gyeonggi Province wrote on social media, "When I asked whether the drama was too exaggerated, my middle school child told me about a case in which a teacher asked a student who had put his feet on the desk during class to put them down, and the student replied that his legs had gone numb, so the teacher just continued the lesson." The viewer added, "I do not support the way the drama resolves things. But to solve a problem, you first have to recognize it, and 'Teach You a Lesson' has had enough impact at the level of raising that awareness."
A well-known doctor shared an article calling for "Teach You a Lesson" to be taken off the air and wrote, "Rather than simply repeating that violence is unacceptable, it is time for people who have long worked in education and human rights to answer. They should explain how to solve the current situation in which victims are not protected." In fact, a superintendent of education who was elected last year proposed a public debate on the creation of the School Rights Protection Bureau on the 13th.■ Director Hong Jong-chan: "I wanted to talk about the existence of good adults"Hong Jong-chan, who directed "Teach You a Lesson," said at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the 11th that he hoped the series would raise a social issue. "I think people who watch the show will discuss it in their own ways," he said. "It is meaningful enough if they look at it from different perspectives and talk about it." He added, "What this work ultimately wants to say is the existence of good adults," explaining, "I wanted to tell the story that children need good adults around them."
Just as Minister of Education Choi Kang-seok, played by Lee Sung-min, held out a hand to Na Hwa-jin after he lost his fiancée to a student's hand and fell into despair, Na Hwa-jin also becomes that kind of adult for Im Han-rim, a School Rights Protection Bureau inspector and survivor of school violence, played by Jin Ki-joo.
Hong emphasized that the role of the School Rights Protection Bureau is ultimately to help victims stand back up.
Asked why he returned to youth-related issues after "Juvenile Justice," he explained, "Stories about teenagers are ultimately stories about families and schools, and more broadly, about our entire society." He added, "Even if it is a school drama, it can still contain a wide range of relationships and themes."
Hong said that in directing this work, he wanted to "go beyond the frustration of reality and deliver exhilarating catharsis." He explained, "I wanted the real-world issues to be handled with depth, but for the moments when the School Rights Protection Bureau moves into action to feel refreshingly thrilling, like an action spectacle."
He also said he was especially careful in directing the sixth episode, which features students who act arrogantly while using the juvenile offender system as a shield. He named the ninth episode, "Human Wi-Fi," as the most memorable. The episode deals with the so-called "Wi-Fi shuttle" problem, in which students pretend to be friends on the surface but actually force a victimized student to provide a mobile hotspot. It also shows them stealing the victim's ID to implicate them in a crime, and then, once the case comes to light, hiring a lawyer and trying to turn the victim into the perpetrator.
About Kim Mu-yeol, who took the lead role, he said he was pleased and satisfied that the actor was able to bring not only his existing charm but also a new side he had never shown before. He added, "Not long ago, I received a text from senior Kim Hye-soo. It said, 'I am glad that such a precious and wonderful actor was used so well in the work, and that the work also turned out well. I support you.'"

jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-a Reporter