K-netizens Call for Netflix to Remove Newly Premiered K-drama Teach You a Lesson with Kim Moo Yeol Due to Controversial and Edgy Take on School Violence and Discipline
I think its fine K-netizens just demand whatever they demand, because there is satisfaction to thwart them when their demands go unanswered lol. This Friday a new K-drama premiered on Netflix, the series Teach You a Lesson starring Kim Moo Yeol with Lee Sung Min, Jin Ki Joo, and P.O. It depicts a future in South Korea where the laws have been revised to create a new teaching supervisory and discipline agency that can go to school run amok by delinquent and bully students in order to use the same if not worse tactics to rein them in. It’s adapted from a popular Korean webtoon which was also controversial when it was published, and one later chapter got a little too close to the racist line that the US webtoon site even pulled it. Unfortunately for K-netizens this is not airing on a public channel and instead is airing on paid subscription Netflix so they can’t even complain they are being forced to watch it being streamed to their televisions. I can’t see Netflix doing anything but the better question is, is this drama even any good? Is it edgelord in that reverse way where the teachers go overboard to teach very heavy handed lessons.
It’s a good show from the get go in my opinion. I think the outcry might stem from the portrayal of educational institutions in South Korea, which is rather negative and at times outlandish. Regardless, I’m still having a great time. Better rush to the end though lol
The outcry stems from the fact that the webtoon is highly racist and misogynistic. It didn’t get close to the racist line, it jumped way over it.
Same with the misogyny. I am still confused why Netflix even touched it.
This drama is so good. Whenever the bad guys got to pay whatever they did, they got zero mercy and my infinite satisfaction .
As much as corporal punishment shouldn’t be allowed back in schools, I also feel for teachers and bullied students who can’t do anything about school bullies and this is an outlet for them. I like the idea of the bullies getting a taste of their own medicine – like how the FL in Judge from Hell subjected abusers and murderers to the pain and horror their victims went through.
The drama has also removed the racist and misogynist elements that were in the webtoon. But on the other hand, the author, who wrote those racist and misogynist elements, would still profit from this improved adaptation. Then again, we consume things that profit terrible people all the time.
I agree with your sentiments. I am not a fan of corporal punishment but I empathize with educators and many kids these days who have to deal with bullies (both adults and kids) with few effective tools and lots of constraints. I liked that the series brought up a number of interesting concepts, opinions and observations, even though I don´t agree with all (and actually strongly reject some of them). However, once I learned about the original source (the webtoon) and found that there were racist and misogynistic elements there, I was done and stopped watching. It is my choice as a member of this capitalist, free society to use my money towards things I support and walk away from things that I don´t.
The series is a great opportunity to have interesting conversations about the causes and solutions to school bullying in Korea and other parts of the world and I hope these still happen, but it seems given the source material, it´s going to be pretty much one-sided (in favor of corporal punishment and humiliation (non-physical) of a few powerful parents). I understand this is tv and so geared towards entertainment, but it is also a show that reiterates certain viewpoints and opinions and so can´t be dismissed as simply entertainment. I already see signs on social media that it has become part of a wider culture war to which many of us are subjected, even those of us just looking for a little entertainment and escapism.
I’m enjoying watching the drama. It’s packed and have moments that get u in the feels. I’m also reading the webtoon simultaneously and find that it’s too slapstick-y to take too seriously, so the drama has toned that down although still has the fantastical/idealistic themes. It’s like a mix between Trauma Code & Study Group in terms of episode tone. As for cast performance, everyone’s killing it and I’m glad a lot of drama fans are noticing Kim Muyeol.
Honestly, with how students treat people these days, I support this way of teaching. I personally know teachers, they get paid shit and get to babysit these mean students 8 hours a day. A few slaps, as long as no one’s dead is fine. Bullies don’t get punished hard enough, best to teach them in school, they aren’t above anyone.
Fist have to ask if these teachers would treat their own children this way with extreme physical punishment if they went astray. lol. It’s all about love. Think about if you’d expect to be whipped by someone else’s parents when you need discipline yourself. lol
In real life, do you think teachers are whipping students until they bleed? Lol No. Do I think bullies get off too easily for causing harm to their victims? Absolutely! Do they deserve extreme punishment? Absolutely. I advocate for a system who harshly punish my kids if they are bullies. You might be too soft for not wanting to but we aren’t the same. I don’t put up with bullies, even if they are related to me.
Lol “it’s all about love” oh honey, love is not enough. If it was, the world wouldn’t be astray.
In reality, there are numerous documented cases of students sustaining injuries due to excessive corporal punishment by educators. The assumption that teachers would never inflict severe physical harm is idealistic and unrealistic. Teachers are human and subject to emotional outbursts; unfortunately, severe instances of physical abuse do occur within educational institutions.
For instance, under the previous authoritarian regime, Taiwan was notorious for institutionalized physical punishment that inflicted permanent physical and psychological trauma on students. Personally, I witnessed classmates suffer long-term hearing impairment as a direct result of being struck severely by teachers.
I don’t think you would want to see your own children suffer a permanent disability because of physical punishment by someone else, right? lol
I see the violence towards teachers too. A lot of times it’s not documented because teachers are afraid of the backlash from parents and the administration. Why do you think teachers also commit suicide? You see from a students POV, I see it from a teachers POV, of course we can’t see eye to eye on this topic. I am hoping educators wouldn’t get to my kid first because I’d punish them before they get secondary punishment by their teacher.
Koala, it didn’t get “a little too close to the racist line,” it was straight up racist. It’s gross that you’re downplaying it. It honestly makes me wonder what other kind of behavior you’ve downplayed, shrugged off, or misrepresented on your blog.
Yup, it’s controversial!
Good drama. Satisfying to see bullies learn their lessons by end of each ep. I can keep watching this series for seasons if writers can keep up with good stories and scripts with the same cast.
Reminiscent of the series Taxi Driver, the narrative of this drama explores punishing evil with evil through an eye for an eye style of justice. While compelling as fiction that may appease audience, vigilantism is not something to be encouraged or promoted in real life.