Even though it wasn‘t filmed, the drama ’True Education‘ is being criticized
From Kim Nam-gil, who was a casting candidate, to Kim Moo-yeol, who was recently confirmed as the lead, even when related articles are published, there are negative reactions with voices of criticism.
This is the first time that a drama has been embroiled in casting controversies before filming has even begun, so interest in ‘What is True Education’ is heating up.
Director Hong Jong-chan, who is in charge of directing, said, “I am aware of the criticism and concerns about some episodes in the original work. I will feel a sense of responsibility and do my best to create a drama with a more refined perspective.” Director Hong has directed Netflix‘s ‘Mr. Plankton’, ‘Juvenile Judgement’, tvN’s ‘Dear My Friends’, etc.
Despite Director Hong‘s explanation, fans are flocking to Kim Moo-yeol’s SNS to express strong opposition with comments such as, “I believe there is a reason for choosing him, but I don‘t understand it at all,” “No matter how good the adaptation and cast are, the original has many ‘problems,” and “Think again.”
In conjunction with this, actor Kim Nam-gil was considered for casting, but public opinion was harsh and he even received a ‘collective protest’, such as a statement from fans opposing his appearance. Afterwards, he expressed his intention to decline, saying, “I think it is right not to do a project that makes many people uncomfortable.”
‘True Education’ is based on a webtoon of the same name that began serialization in 2021. It has been called a ‘problematic work’ because it contains some misogynistic and racist content.
‘True Education’ depicts the story of the Ministry of Education, which felt the seriousness of the collapse of teachers’ authority after the introduction of the corporal punishment ban, establishing the Teachers‘ Rights Protection Bureau that legally allows corporal punishment and dispatching field supervisors from the department to ‘problematic schools’.
It initially garnered attention for being ‘realistic education’ and ‘cider development’, but it faced controversy for its extreme division into good and evil and its method of solving school violence, parental bullying, etc. with more powerful violence.
In particular, episode 42 of the original work had a scene where a female teacher teaching feminism was hit in the face, and episode 5 had a scene where a black person was disparaged, causing a huge stir.
This led to strong criticism from overseas readers, and the webtoon was deleted from the North American platform in September of last year. In Korea, the episode was also deleted and a long-term hiatus was decided.
Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com
