"True Education" Controversy: Behind the Scenes

Netflix's new series "True Education" has been released. This drama tells the story of "True Education" by the Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights, which was established to protect the Korean education scene, which has collapsed due to students, teachers, and parents who cross the line.

The original webtoon was criticized for its racist and sexist expressions, and there was controversy to the extent that its serialization was suspended on North American platforms. Due to this, domestic viewers also showed negative reactions to the news of its adaptation into a drama.

The drama "True Education" only adopted the major plot points and main character settings from the original work, and there are differences in detailed characters, plot development, and overall tone compared to the original. Director Hong Jong-chan and writer Lee Nam-gyu took the rough and provocative elements of the original work and selectively chose only the necessary parts to remodel it.

Effort was also put into the level of violence. Episodes 1-2 added speed and impact with a fast-paced "satisfying development," but episode 3, focusing on a girls' high school, was composed solely of indirect corporal punishment without direct physical punishment, which may have felt somewhat bland dramatically. This appears to prioritize caution over tempo.

The reason the production team chose the controversial "True Education" IP seems to be to utilize the core concept of the "Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights." The "Bureau for the Protection of Teachers' Rights" is a fantasy setting where corporal punishment can be administered to students without conditions, providing plausibility for physically punishing minor students who are perpetrators of school violence and creating the satisfaction that viewers desire.