Within a week of release, Teach You a Lesson rose to the top of Netflix’s global non-English rankings for the week of 1-7 June. Directed by Hong Jong-chan and adapted from the 2020 webtoon Get Schooled, the 10-episode Korean series has travelled far beyond its home market. It follows a government-backed unit, the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, which is given exceptional legal powers to step into troubled schools.
The drama is set in a society where school violence has grown and teacher authority has weakened. Minister Choi Gang-seok creates the bureau after the death of his daughter, who was a teacher. Na Hwa-jin, a former Special Forces captain turned inspector, leads the unit, alongside Im Han-rim and Bong Geun-dae. Across its episodes, the series takes on bullying, corruption, academic misconduct, juvenile crime, gambling, drug trafficking and exploitation. It also touches on exam fraud, overbearing parents and the pressure of competition.
Its appeal lies not only in its action, but also in its focus on victims and on the failures of institutions. The series has been compared with Taxi Driver, though its battles take place in classrooms rather than on the streets. At the same time, it has drawn criticism from Korean educators, who say it presents violence and corporal punishment in an approving way. Even so, the show’s popularity suggests that many viewers are responding to its fantasy of swift justice and its larger question: what, and who, is education really for?
