On June 5, the drama "True Lessons" (Teach You a Lesson, Get Schooled, 참교육) will premiere on Netflix, tackling a burning issue in South Korea – the crisis of teachers' authority.

The 12-episode project, directed by Hong Jong Chan ("Mr. Plankton", "Juvenile Judgement"), is an adaptation of a webtoon of the same name that had already sparked controversy over its provocative content.

The lead roles are played by Kim Mu Yeol ("Sweet Home", "Queen Woo") and Lee Sung Min ("Reborn Rich", "Misaeng: Incomplete Life"). The cast also includes Jin Ki Joo ("Undercover High School", "Uncle Samsik") and Pyo Ji Hoon ("Good Partner", "More Than Friends").

The story centres on a fictional government body – the Department for the Protection of Rights in Education – created to restore order in schools where students, parents, and even some teachers cross every line.

Kim Mu Yeol plays Na Hwa Jin, an agent of the department, nicknamed "The Reaper" for his uncompromising approach. Lee Sung Min appears as Education Minister Choi Kang Seok, the ideological driving force and founder of the unit. Jin Ki Joo takes on the role of former special forces soldier and current department employee Im Han Rim, while Pyo Ji Hoon plays the assistant to the department head.

The original webtoon "True Lessons" (참교육) drew a wave of criticism in Korea long before any talk of an adaptation. Readers and human rights groups accused the author of promoting violence, racism and sexism. The protagonist, Na Hwa Jin, beats troublesome students half to death; in one scene he uses excessive force against a schoolgirl, and his monologues contain offensive remarks about foreigners, including citizens of China and people of African descent. Female characters in the webtoon are often reduced to helpless victims or objects to be rescued, which angered feminist communities. The publisher and platform repeatedly received demands to remove the work, but the author refused to change the storyline.

When news of Netflix's adaptation plans broke, the scandal flared up again: viewers feared the streaming giant would legitimise brutality and prejudice. The drama's creators promised to rework the content – removing overtly racist and misogynistic elements while retaining the central theme of teachers fighting for their rights.

The series emerges against a backdrop of major social crisis. According to an April 2026 survey by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, 86% of educators had faced violations of their rights and personal safety. Nearly half of them (48.6%) had personally been attacked or knew colleagues who had been. Yet only 13.9% sought help from specialised committees; many choose to remain silent for fear of retaliatory lawsuits from parents and the futility of complaints. To the tragedy of powerlessness is added psychological pressure: teachers fear that even legitimate action against a student could be classified as "child abuse". The story of an elementary school teacher who committed suicide after psychological pressure from parents gained wide resonance, sparking mass teacher protests and the passage of a law protecting teachers' rights in 2024.

"True Lessons" is the second collaboration for Hong Jong Chan, Lee Sung Min and Kim Mu Yeol after the drama "Juvenile Judgement". Notably, Kim Nam Gil was originally considered for the lead role – he once played a hot-tempered priest with very controversial methods – but he turned it down, citing the original webtoon's questionable reputation. Kim Mu Yeol, while accepting the role, noted that he was drawn to the opportunity to shed light on discrimination and injustice in Korean education, rather than violence as a method.

The drama's creators have assured the public that they are aware of the criticism and have revised the content.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5