C-dramas have been widely criticized for plagiarism for decades, either outright or remaking other stories without paying a licensing fee. K-drama have had the same criticism though far less frequent and more debatable instances. Mere days after hit screenwriter Kim Eun Sook‘s new drama was announced, got a female lead in top actress Song Hye Kyo, and revealed the name The Glory and synopsis about revenge, K-netizens are taking the bare bones story concept and saying it bears striking similarity to another author’s work. The story is about the female lead who endured school bullying when she was young and had to drop out of school, her bully got married and had kids and is living a good life, years later the female lead intentionally becomes the teacher to the bully’s child to enact revenge. There is a manhwa with the exact same plot except in that instance it was by happenstance that the lead became the bully’s kid’s teacher. K-netizens think Kim Eun Sook needs to pay a licensing fee for taking the plot construct otherwise it’s too similar to call it coincidence.
Anyone know the tittle of manhwa, i am curious how the author complete the story.
i know of a manga: Ijimeru Aitsu ga Waruinoka, Ijimerareta Boku ga Waruinoka?
Aizawa was bullied by Suzuki to the point of becoming truant. He picks himself back up and becomes a teacher. 20 years later, his bully’s daughter is one of his students and she’s being harassed in class, a secret she keeps from her father. (cr:mangadex)
Aigoo. But then someone mentioned reading about this in the other Glory article although they mentioned J-drama, not manhwa. Looking this up online, the alleged plagiarized work is a Japanese manga titled “Is the guy who bullied me bad, or am I, who was bullied, the bad one?”
https://www.koreaboo.com/news/song-hye-kyo-upcoming-drama-writer-kim-eun-sook-glory-plagiarized-japanese-manga/
Of course, it’s too early to know for sure but following these “accusations” she might tweak the plot just to be safe. K-dramas are just as guilty as C-dramas. More debatable instances, my foot. They’re just smarter (or sneakier) about it than their C-counterparts.
Remember how Because This Is My First Life conveniently came out after Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu was a hit, but enough was changed that the fans swear it’s different.
Oh yes, exactly. There are scores of K-dramas that clearly ripped off other works. But it’s interesting how some people are more forgiving and biased when K-dramas plagiarize [compared to C-dramas] and downplay/dismiss/defend it with stuff like “debatable instances” and “copying is nothing new; it happens in every industry.”
@beep
Yes, I remember that controversy very well. Hmm.
@origami…there’s definitely a bias.
When I watch because this is my 1st life, my thoughts was that they can’t actually find the charm in nigeru so they end up writing stuff that is surface level and can’t actually finish it.
If you write only the stuff that happen in both drama, without any melancholy quote, it’s like 80% same. Even the way they unfold or go through the plot is similar.
The only difference is the stalker and the ex part and those isn’t actually what people like about the story.
Since they made it in surface level, they actually make a character that half people suddenly dislike at the end of the drama.
Well well, let me get my popcorn ready just in case
Become the kids teacher to take revenge? Lmfaooo what kind of bullying did she endure to take it out on a child
Ready for fangs and claws to come out in comment section but boring as. Since no ML needed, comments didn’t even hit 40 for subsequent glory articles.
The drama is not yet out and there is already doubts of plagiarism? Overreaction?
Because she has ran out of ideas or her days as a hit-dramas’screenwriter is over?
Lol I knew she couldn’t cook up a non-romantic story by herself! Korea put her on such a pedestal for the past 2 decades that she’s straight up copy and pasting stories now. Looks like it’s time to hang up the writing pants lady.
Is she going to realise by the end that she is equally responsible for her own miserable past because she dint not stand up for herself? She did not show enough courage. By the way copying is nothing new. It happens in every industry. Im sure kim eun suk will twerk it here and there a little
How can anyone be equally responsible for being bullied? This is victim shaming at best. We don’t have the story context. And no matter what the context how is the victim responsible? Being meek or timid is not a crime. Bullying someone is.
Ott- hopefully they pay the licensing fees to the original creator. Plagiarism in creative fields is so easy and common and needs to be called out more
Oh my long reply dint get posted you people can read below . If this is not the type of character deveopment i see for our female lead and that is the the lesson she is going to teach youngsters sufrrering from bullying and the people who are being bullied and also the lesson she learns herself this will be most creepiest charCter i have ever seen in k drama.
Using children to take revenge is just gross unless she teaches them to fight for themselves and make their lifestyle healthier..
I STAND BY IT. EVERYONE IS EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR own miserable past. She is not responsible for being bullied but responsible for not beating the crap out of them. Or even if was unjustly kicked out of school and powerless back then there are hunsdreds of ways to get revenge. Get revenge from parents Instead of setting children as targets to get their revenge on parents. Also helping their children and slaping the parents in the face is not at all a good enough revenge for bullies.
This is harsh given that my sister was heavily bullied during her high school.
She tried her best to stand up against her bullies and we tried our best to help her but sometimes when all forces ganging up against you, you can easily come out feeling dejected that all you want to do is give up or just go as far away as you could. It took a severe beating to her confidence and it sure was hell and traumatizing for her.
Pls don say such nasty thing esp when you have no first hand experience in all this.
Sorry that happened to your sister and you all could not help her enough but glad that you were there for her .but i dint say our lead is responsible for being bullied. What I wanted to say is she is respondible for her miserable past life. Yes because imagine how much she suffered and imagine how much recentment she has accumulated to have the heart and courage to use children for revenge. Imagine how shallow you might feel after this kind of revenge. Imagine if she had the same courage back then to fight them to death and beat the crap out of them right then and there. Or do you think she should help these children and say look you bulied me but i helped your children. Do you think this kind of face slapping is enough for heavy bullies?.
Your sister was being bullied right. Wont you feel happy one day in the future if she says sister i fought back and beat the crap out of them this time. I know it is difficult but please stand by me if anything goes wrong. Would you not feel happy if she become mentally stronger and more courageous. That is what i want for female lead to realise become stronger and realise she should have done more to protect herself instead of this wierd and creepy revenge of using the next generation.
And if that is not the lesson our female lead is going to realise then whats the use of this revenge drama. Just to say Hahaha look how you trampled me and look your children are being trampled now.
Female leads message to the viewers:be strong gather courage and fight back when you are being targeted so that you will not live a life full of pented resentment like me.
Female leads message to viewers:
I was bullied supressed and tortured so look this is how i tortured them back
What do you think looks good
Awesome victim blaming here. You do realise, Kulkarni, not everyone can “beat the crap out of” those bullies?
What you’re basically saying is that while no one is responsible for being an initial target of bullying, victims ARE responsible for the continuing of bullying because they did not “stand up for themselves”. So I guess if you do not stand up for yourself, it’s fine if you get treated like dirt?
It is the responsibility of ADULTS to prevent and fix bullying. It is NOT the responsibility of the victim to “be stronger” and stop the bullying by “standing up for him/herself”. I mean, it’s cool if they do but even if they don’t, they are NOT responsible for their misery. Bullies are responsible and adults who allow it to continue.
Not to mention it is not usually in the power of the victim to even stop the bullying. “Beat the crap out of them” – HOW? You are just a one person and usually there are a bunch of bullies. And usually bullies pick a victim who is physically weaker than them anyway. How do you suggest one small person “beats the crap out” of several bigger ones? By magic?
Honestly, it sounds like you have no idea how bullying works. Maybe you should educate yourself and only then take part in discussion.
I was myself bullied in school. And you know what, I DID beat the crap out of them. Several times! But guess what, it didn’t stop the bullying. For example, girls refused to have anything to do with me during one school year (this was before any beatings, I was not at fault here). How do you suggest I would have stopped this isolation tactic? By beating my school mates into talking to me again? How do you suggest I should have handled boys who constantly yelled insults at me from afar? There was a bunch of them, I wasn’t able to “beat the crap out of” all of them. Should I have yelled insults back? You think it would have made me feel better?
Like said, there were physical altercations and I did stand for myself in those situations. Does it make me feel more courageous? Not really. Does it make me feel less miserable and violated? Nope. Suprise, surprise, I wasn’t able to stop a ton of school mates from bullying me. How awful of me. Obviously I am at fault for being miserable at the time. I mean, I was just one child, of course I should have been able to prevent girls from isolating me and boys from hurling insults at me. I just wasn’t brave and courageous enough!
@kulkarni
I hope you take the time to think over your statement because I don’t think you are aware of how cookie-cutter and short-sighted your response is. In no circumstances is a victim responsible for being bullied. Maybe the aggressor shouldn’t have start bullying in the first place? Maybe consider that.
With your argument, I could:
1) stole a wallet and say it’s the victim fault because they didn’t protect their wallet well enough.
2) punch a kid because it’s the victim fault for standing there.
3) call someone homely and not good looking and say it’s their fault for not using make-up effectively or not getting plastic surgery.
4) Give you a failing grade because you did not show enough courage in taking your exam blind-folded.
?
Love this.
? x ♾
Some people are so ignorant. It shows a lack of awareness of real issues. Just because some can stand up to their bullies, doesn’t mean all can. It doesn’t matter what you can or cannot do. It’s what the bullies should or should not do. These kind of comments are disgusting.
Wow, no one asked to be bullied. I’m a teacher and I hate bullies even a slight mocking laught towards different students or introvert one will get a word from me and they won’t get away being a bully. They were never asked, even normal looking, kind can get bullied but here you want to blame them? Wow!!! I sure hope you will get bullied so you can have a taste and all will be saying it’s your fault to get bullied and do tell us how it felt.
Oh a very good teacher i see who will punish the dumb bullies. But you see it will be better if you take one more step after after punishing those rascals.
Call the bullied students and engorage them to say no and fight back for their own safety. Repeat to them again and again that in this cruel world no one is going to help them unless they help themself first. One time might not be enough but say that again and again and again. Even if they dont get it right now sometime in the future when the same circumstance arrivves they may listen to your words and stand up for themselves in times of real danger.
And its the first time seeing a teachers wishing some one should get bullied.
I have never been bullied but i have a friend who was bullied. A group of thieves entered her house and raped her mother and killed her after the robbery. It was published in news and after a few days we came to know that it was her. The children in our class started ignoring her and talking bad about her and her mother behind her back dont know what else they said to her. I just cant imagine how she felt. One day Just one teacher out of so many reprimanded the children who insulted her. Reprimanded people like me who were silent for not standing up for her and also reprimanded her that she should fight for her mother who is being insulted, she should fight for herself because look no one amonng us stood up for her. If she wants have a good life she should do it herself because even in future no one will help her. THAT was the first and the biggest lesson i ever learned that day in the class. MY FRIEND STARTED CRYING THEN AND THERE STANDING AT HER DESK AND SAID SORRY AND THANK YOU WHILE CRYING.
she told a lot of things she felt and how she was going to change schools and more things because bullying.
Next day instead of hanging her head low she came to school with her head raised and dint cry or hung her head low even after they insulted her.eventually the bullies gave up seeing she was not reacting as before. She continued two more years in our school and now she is very sucessful in life.
Shallow
What kind of nasty mentality is this? I feel sorry for the people in your life to have a person like you in their lives
Justifying bullying and plagiarism? My, what a class act!
You’re disgusting to have such small minded beliefs. It reflects on the kind of person you are. I really hope people around you are as strong as you keep wanting everyone to be. If not, I hope they genuinely have the support of people with proper empathy and understanding of human psychology.
Just one last thing before I’m out: people are different. Their circumstances, beliefs, strengths, courage are all different. It’s not a one size fits all. Maybe you’re not aware of this, so thought I should let you know.
.i know everyone is not same. I said she should learn and realise what went wrong.that should be the moral of the story not everyone is strong but the drama should show people they should be strong,make noise so that your voice will be heard and the sinners will be punished. I was talking about the message from story. Its great if she planned her revenge all these years by getting stronger and prepared . But what the hell is this type of concept ? Just imagine using those innocent children as stepping stones for your revenge.
What do you expect from life now.you were bullied and silent because you had a lot of pressure on you. May be all the circumstances were against you.
But what about the punishment to bullies???????. They already enjoyed their life to the fullest. So what did you get by suffering silently. The leads gets the revenge and finally cools down and children will get nightmares after knowing their parents did the same disgusting things as they are suffering.
Those disgusting bullies will move forward with their lives and YOU YOU will suffer your whole life if you dont speak up.
ITS hilarious how now i become disgusting for telling people you should be strong and speak up. Yes i know not everybody is strong and they will not become strong if one person asks them to be strong
. But if you are a real friend of that person you keep on asking them to become stronger again and again and again even if they find you irritating. One day may be they will be courageous enough.
Ok fine you people may find me disgusting because i say fight for yourself. You people may think im insensitive because not everyone is strong to fight back. So they should suffer and live shelled up while their bullies live carefree life of luxury?
But ill still say yes fight for yourself. If i say it to 100 people maybe atleast 1 person will get enough courage and speakup and publicly point towards their bullies.
Ok good then you people keep on sympathysing with the victims while i will keep on saying to them speak up , please speak up and point them out so that world will know they should be punished. Because i have seen with my eyes how horrible the situations may become if you silently suffer and endure.
Ill say it again and again speak up and fight for yourselves before you suffer and endure your whole life. that should be the moral of the story. She should tell the children to fight and slap back instead of burning their soul in misery for years for revenge like her. Tell them if anybody had stood by her side back then and encouraged her. her life would be different now and happy now.
Too early to judge the whole drama but it’d be better if KES can give a clarification.
Why not just get copyright?
Why I am sensing this is only a publicity stunt so that the drama will remain relevant throughout the year and before its official release.
Ah, good point. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was all just a stunt. K-ent sure loves to mediaplay.
Yup. Most likely.
There’s hardly an information for it to be deemed as “plagiarism”. It’s very likely a publicity stunt. Which, hey, people are biting into it I guess.
Guys chill i dint say she is responsible for being bullied. I said miserable past. Every one is not courageous. Yes every one is equally responsible for their own miserable life. Im not saying bulling is good. Im saying may AND MAYBE be by the end of drama she is going to think back and realise if only i slapped back these people back then instead of slapping back now i would have lead a different life.instead of thinking how to take revenge on the parents of these innocent children i would have led a peaceful life. I think that is the character development we are going to see by the end. If only i fought back with all my might and complained to the whole world then may be i would have a live with less recentment now.
sory to say this i really wanted song hye kyo to try diffrent chracter despite i mean strong chracter but i dndt expected the plot is about bullying.im tired bout the bullying issue.every korean drama have that elements.may i ask is korea have numbers of bullies case sory no offend.i imagine the storyline is non other than bullying i mean then root story.but well we waiting how the story will come out.i want my idol to be out of her zone this time.
You posted 4 replies repeating the same stand that the victim is responsible for the miserable life cos victim should slap back and in CAPS. You make me think that you are the bully justifying the arguments that you stand by it. That’s what guilty bully go through blaming victim for their action.
Victims and family do fight the bullied. Victim also does not continue to live miserable past life. Victims do move on and live happy life. It is the bully that continued to live a guilt filled life cos they never admit to what they do wrong to others. I have seen a bully running away from the victim cos fear has been the bully’s companion. The more you fight on your stand the more you are confirming yourself.
And the writer has not disclosed anything else on victim why you are writing that victim lives miserable past life using children as tools for revenge. Furthermore would writer be so stupid to use children as tools for revenge?
I rather wait to see what the writer has to say than be part of media play.
I said i was guilty in one of the cases because i did not stood up for her and i know how miserable i feel.i did not bully but i did not have enough courage to stand by her. It took years for me to gather my courage and talk to her and she actually forgave me. You know what she said ? Thanks to the teacher who asked me to fight back and be proud. She said more they ridiculed her more she felt guilty and she was not worthy. But once she raised her voice she dont know where the confidence came from but she is thankful for that.
My reply was before you wrote about your friend (fortunately your friend did not slap as you suggested to fight back) and you wrote even more replies. It showed your true self.
AND it clearly states above that she intentionaly became the teacher of that student whos parents bullied her where as in manhwa it was by coincidence. Intentionally approaching the child itself is enough. Imagine when the child knows their heart warming and loving teacher was harassed and beaten by your parents and approached you for ulterior motives. Just imagine how much the woman has internally struggeled and suffered and pent up the rage that she is even willing to approach the child. AND if the female lead is not going to approach the child intentionally as said above in the article then kim eun suk is the worst writer ever to reveal such a synopsis.
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? this not the one earlier
Interesting premise. From the number of times bullying comes up in kdramas, I’m assuming it’s a societal problem in Korea which the K-ent industry is trying to put the spotlight on. If that’s the case, then kudos to them, as there can never be too many dramas about bullying until it no longer exists in society or at least it’s reduced by a significant amount. I do hope that in her script, KES addresses the enablers of bullying which includes teachers and students who look the other way rather than assist or address the issue; instead of glossing over it and using it as a plot device. And I do hope she addresses a suggestion of a systemic solution instead of waving the issue aside, once the revenge arc is complete. Funnily enough, I never see bullying in Chinese high school dramas – maybe because it will never pass the censorship board, (and their society is less insular, so maybe less pressure on the kids? plus the emphasis on wholesome youth dramas) – although, I can’t believe that it’s a problem limited to Korea and Western countries alone.
Eh…. honestly, plagiarism or not, I don’t want this drama made just based on the summary alone. Bullying a kid just cos their mother was your bully…??? At some point, adults gotta act like adults and stop being kids.
I know and recognise that bullying is traumatic, but if that’s the case, go after the mother, not the child. An adult going after a child is never a good look or a good idea. At all.
I know I won’t be watching this.
Shes beautiful but this woman Cant act. periodt.
Her daesangs and drama ratings say otherwise.
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I’m from future.I can see song hye kyo trying clean her image once again like she did in Dots.But i don’t this drama will be another success like dots because kim eun sook became lazy now.Her 2 ghost writer leave her and dots success because lee eung bok,writer kim won suk and song joong ki.Kim eun sook lose her touch after mr.sunshine and korean people already tired with melow drama unless she can wrote makjang drama like the world of married or penthouse it will be hit big.Okay we will see absent of lee eung bok power magic in her next drama.