"True Education" Delivers Satisfying Message

The Netflix original series 'The Bequeathed' will be released on the 5th. While this work is based on a popular webtoon about infringement of teachers' rights, some actors refused to appear and there were demands to halt production due to controversies over racism and sexism in some episodes of the original work. Actor Kim Moo-yeol introduced 'The Bequeathed' at the production presentation as "a work that talks about difficult issues easily" and "a comprehensive gift set with exhilaration, fun, and emotion." He stated that he focused on the work itself and acted with sincerity despite the controversy.

'The Bequeathed' is a fantasy action drama depicting the activities of 'The Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights', a fictional organization established to rectify the educational field, which has collapsed due to students who cross the line, parents, and complicit teachers. Kim Moo-yeol plays Na Hwa-jin, a supervisor at the Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights, and Lee Sung-min plays Choi Kang-seok, the Minister of Education and founder of the bureau. Jin Ki-joo and Pyo Ji-hoon play supervisor Im Han-lim and office worker Bong Geun-dae, respectively. The actors stated that they decided to appear in the work, drawn by the weighty message and catharsis conveyed by the theme of 'infringement of teachers' rights'. Lee Sung-min said, "I felt catharsis watching the story unfold in a dramatically exhilarating way," and Jin Ki-joo said, "I was moved every time I saw victims being protected."

This work is drawing attention as director Hong Jong-chan, who previously worked with actor Lee Sung-min and Kim Moo-yeol on the Netflix series 'Juvenile Justice', has reunited with them. Kim Moo-yeol said, "I have memories of working very carefully on sensitive issues, so I was able to work with them again with trust," and Lee Sung-min added, "I was confident that it would be a work loved as much as 'Juvenile Justice'." Director Hong acknowledged the controversy surrounding the original work and explained that the fantasy setting of 'The Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights', which unhesitatingly resolves the frustrations of reality and holds the hands of victims, was itself attractive. He explained that he tried to create empathy through stories from reality and that the controversial episodes and settings were all excluded during the live-action adaptation process.

The series added vitality to the work by adding the character Bong Geun-dae, the 'brain' of the Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights, who was not in the original work. Director Hong expected Bong Geun-dae to help viewers who are watching 'The Bequeathed' for the first time to easily get into the work. Actor Lee Sung-min said that he learned how diverse and deep the problems in the educational field are through the work, and Kim Moo-yeol confessed that it was an opportunity to think about various aspects. Director Hong emphasized that he wanted to pose questions about educational issues through the drama and hoped that it would be a work that prompts viewers to ask, "What can we do?" in their respective positions.

'The Bequeathed', a work that poses questions to the current public education system, will offer exhilarating catharsis by looking at events that occur at school, such as school violence and infringement of teachers' rights, from various perspectives. Director Hong Jong-chan explained the adaptation process, stating that he strived to preserve the exhilaration of the original work while incorporating stories from reality that are not exaggerated, and adding the three-dimensionality of characters and emotional depth that can be expressed through drama. He added that he hoped this work would not provide answers to current societal issues, but rather pose questions about what we can do in the face of infringement of teachers' rights in reality.