Teach You a Lesson

Premise

In response to a rise in campus violence and the decline of faculty authority, the South Korean government establishes the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) under the Teacher Rights Protection Act, headed by Minister of Education Choi Gang-seok. The Bureau is granted the legal authority to use any form of measure, including physical force and psychological pressure, to discipline both students and teachers, and reform the school system. ERPB inspector Na Hwa-jin is dispatched to various educational institutions to dismantle hierarchies established by delinquent students and address administrative corruption. Accompanied by eccentric investigator Im Han-rim and technophilic officer Bong Geun-dae, Hwa-jin utilizes his state-sanctioned immunity to neutralize school gangs and restore order.

Cast and characters

Main

Kim Mu-yeol as Na Hwa-jin

An intimidating former Special Forces captain-turned-inspector for the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB).

Lee Sung-min as Choi Gang-seok

Minister of Education and founder of the ERPB.

Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim

A former Special Forces sergeant-turned-inspector for the ERPB. She enjoys violence and is prone to screaming fits.

Pyo Ji-hoon as Bong Geun-dae

A KAIST graduate and 5th-grade civil servant who is hired by the ERPB. He is the brains of the operations, and is not as physically inclined as Hwa-jin and Han-rim.

Supporting

Kim Jong-soo as Hwang Gi-tae

A member of the National Assembly who supports the abolition of ERPB.

Lee Bong-jun as Cho Gyu-cheol

Ga-yoon's student, whom she cared for before he murdered her two years ago.

Lee Seung-gyu as Ryu Jun-hyeong

A student of Class 2-5 who is a perpetrator of school violence.

Kim Do-geon a Kim Gwang-su

A student of Class 2-5 who is Jun-young's right arm.

Lee Chan-yong as Kim Gyeong-min

A student of Class 2-5 who is a victim of school violence.

Jeong Soo-hyun as Park Dae-seok

A student of Class 2-5 who was a victim of school violence and eventually took his own life.

Song Young-gyu as Ryu Gwang-pil

Jun-hyeong's father, who is a member of the National Assembly.

Jeon Bong-seok as Kim Hyeong-ju

A timid student of the school's automobile department who is not involved in any gang activity.

Yoo Tae-joo as Park Seong-hwan

A student of the school's automobile department, who is interested in joining Kwon-hyuk's gang.

Special appearances

Ha Young as Choi Ga-yoon

Gang-seok's daughter and Hwa-jin's fiancé. She was a passionate teacher, but was murdered by her student Gyu-cheol two years ago. Her death inspired her father to establish the ERPB in her honor.

Lee Yeo-jin as a news anchor

Jeon Seung-hoon as Seo Tae-hoon

The captain of the Kangju High School basketball team. He habitually abuses his team members.

Production

Development

In late 2024, it was announced that the Naver webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram would be adapted into a drama. In early 2025, Ylab Plex announced a content supply deal with Netflix ending in August 2026, which industry analysts identified as the production window for the series. Developed under the working title True Lessons, it is produced by Ylab Plex and GTist, directed by Hong Jong-chan, and written by Lee Nam-kyu, Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho.

Casting

Kim Nam-gil was reportedly in talks to lead the series in November 2024. On the same month, Kim Mu-yeol was confirmed to play the lead role and he cite his trust in director Hong following their collaboration on the 2022 legal drama Juvenile Justice.

Jin Ki-joo, Pyo Ji-hoon, and Lee Sung-min joined the lead cast in January 2025. By March 2025, Netflix confirmed the four actors' appearances. In July 2025, Ha Young joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography began in the first half of 2025.

Release

Initially slated for a second-quarter 2026 release, Teach You a Lesson was released exclusively on Netflix on June 5.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.

iMBC awarded the series 3 out of 4 stars, describing it as balancing teacher authority and student rights while avoiding the full glorification of violence. The Fact and TV Daily praised its emotional weight, realistic depiction of teacher burnout and parental negligence, and its lingering impact that prompts reflection on the education system. Ilgan Sports and Sports Today noted the cathartic satisfaction but also the bittersweet aftertaste and ethical unease. Sports Seoul praised the series for addressing specific real-world issues such as malicious parental complaints, juvenile offenders exempt from punishment, "MZ mafia" parents, and teenage gambling/drug crimes. It commended director Hong Jong-chan and writer Lee Nam-kyu for focusing on structural education failures and victims' trauma. However, it criticized the series for ultimately justifying violence through extra-legal webtoon-style solutions, noting that this gap sometimes weakens narrative persuasiveness, and highlighted the irony of the 19+ rating limiting access for the teenagers most affected. Joel Keller of Decider gave the series a "Stream It" recommendation, calling it an entertaining exercise in wish-fulfillment for those frustrated by bullying and ineffective institutions.

Forbes hailed the series as "one of the smartest, best-written, and most addictive feel-good dramas of the year." South China Morning Post was critical, describing the premise of government-backed corporal punishment as "alarming" and noting the series' unclear overall message.

Performances received consistent acclaim, particularly Kim Mu-yeol for his charismatic and commanding presence across action, comedy, and drama. Lee Sung-min brought gravitas as Education Minister Choi Gang-seok, while Jin Ki-joo and Pyo Ji-hoon added energy and chemistry to the team.

Viewership

The series has achieved significant commercial success both domestically and internationally, holding the No. 1 position on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows list for two consecutive weeks. In its second week, it ranked among Netflix's Top 10 series in more than 90 countries and reached No. 1 in 46 countries worldwide, becoming the platform's most-watched series globally that week with 21.1 million views. It remained at No. 1 on Netflix's Non-English TV rankings for four consecutive weeks, accumulating more than 490 million hours viewed and becoming the fifth most-watched Korean Netflix original series of all time, surpassing The Glory.

In South Korea, the series also generated substantial public interest and online engagement. During its debut week, lead actor Kim Mu-yeol topped the cast buzz rankings, while the series ranked second in the TV-OTT drama buzz rankings. It additionally recorded an opening-week buzz score of 54,881, the highest achieved by a Netflix original series in the country that year. All main cast members entered the Top 10 cast buzz rankings.

In its second week, the series experienced a 60.5% increase in overall buzzworthiness compared to its debut week. It ranked first across all four categories used to measure buzzworthiness: news coverage, Voice of Netizens (VON), video content, and social media activity. Its buzz score rose to 88,089 points, placing it among the highest-scoring Netflix original dramas and making it the most buzzworthy weekly drama of 2026 at the time. The series surpassed Perfect Crown, which had previously recorded 82,718 points.

South Korean teachers' reaction

Following the release of the series, Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations praised the drama for highlighting growing concerns in South Korean schools, including declining classroom discipline, violations of teacher authority, and the lack of institutional support for educators. While some criticized its depiction of violence and vigilante justice, the organization argued that the series reflects real challenges in education and has fueled broader discussions about strengthening legal protections for teachers.

Impact

In the wake of its release, Gyeonggi Province Superintendent-elect Ahn Min-seok proposed creating a real-life "Teacher Rights Protection Bureau", the organization featured in the story, stating that "Education is impossible unless teachers' authority is restored." Ahn appeared on CBS Radio's Park Sung-tae's News Show on June 16 and stated accordingly that he has been receiving messages from individual teachers, including those with special forces backgrounds, saying that if "Teacher Rights Protection Bureau" is created, they definitely want to serve there.

Controversy

Controversy of source material

The series is based on the webtoon Get Schooled. In 2023, the webtoon's 125th chapter attracted controversy after it depicted themes of "reverse racism" and included racial slurs and character portrayals that critics described as racist stereotypes. Following the backlash, the English-language version of the webtoon was removed from the Webtoon platform, while publication later resumed on Naver Webtoon in South Korea after a temporary hiatus. The webtoon had also drawn criticism from some commentators for its portrayal of social issues, including feminism, and for its depiction of women and ethnic minorities.

Domestic protests and union boycotts

Following the announcement of the live-action adaptation, the project faced immediate domestic backlash. Numerous educational institutions and labor organizations in South Korea, most notably the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU), publicly called for the series to be canceled. In an official statement titled "Violence Is Not True Education," the KTU argued that the series' premise—which features a government official utilizing physical force to discipline students—effectively glorifies corporal punishment, an act strictly banned in South Korean schools. The union further alleged that the narrative normalizes classroom aggression, undermines democratic conflict resolution, and harms the educational system by reducing real-world teachers to one-dimensional, passive caricatures.

Public pushback also targeted the show's potential and confirmed cast. Actor Kim Nam-gil's fanbase issued statements opposing his involvement, citing the original webtoon's history of promoting corporal punishment and its controversial depictions of racism and sexism. On November 8, Kim Nam-gil addressed the concerns via his Instagram, clarifying that while the project had been proposed to his agency, he had not yet personally reviewed it or accepted the role, adding that his focus was entirely on the filming of The Fiery Priest 2. Furthermore, viewers and fans actively petitioned other attached actors to decline their roles, with some groups releasing public statements specifically objecting to actress Jin Ki-joo joining the production.

Netflix response

Netflix addressed the pre-release backlash during the "Next on Netflix 2026 Korea" showcase in Seoul. Bae Jong-byung, a senior director for Netflix, publicly acknowledged the severe criticisms and sensitive themes surrounding specific episodes of the original webtoon. Bae stated that the production team approached the adaptation with a "strong sense of responsibility" and had actively taken the public's concerns into account during development. He asserted that the script and production had been handled through a "more considered and refined lens" to ensure the story was conveyed with appropriate sensitivity.