Poster for the Netflix original drama ‘True Education’. Photo Netflix
As of June 2026, few would dispute that the most popular yet controversial drama is Netflix’s ‘True Education’. Adapted from the original webtoon by writers Chae Yong-Taek and Han Garam, ‘True Education’ drew controversy from the planning stage due to the source material’s premise of establishing teacher authority through violence and for various forms of hate speech. The fact that Kim Nam-Gil ultimately declined casting, unable to endure such burdens, only fueled the debate.
Yet the drama released on the 5th is at the center of the conversation. On day two of release, it ranked first on Netflix charts in 25 countries, and lead actor Kim Mu-Yeol also topped the combined TV-OTT drama performer buzz ranking. By day five, on the 9th, it had reached number one in 29 countries worldwide.
A scene from the Netflix original drama ‘True Education’. Photo Netflix
In particular, when English-speaking fans said that Kim Mu-Yeol, who plays Na Hwa-Jin and performs barehanded action, resembles John Cena, a former U.S. professional wrestler and Hollywood action star, Cena himself posted a photo of Kim on SNS (social networking service), making it an even hotter topic. Although it carries elements of popularity such as being based on a hit webtoon, belonging to the action-centered school genre, and using an omnibus structure that references real cases, there is something distinctive about the fervor for ‘True Education’.
Culture critic Jeong Deok-Hyun noted that ‘True Education’ stands at the cutting edge of the school genre’s evolution. He said, “Before OTT, school dramas tended to have rather formulaic structures. Rather than exposing problems, they mostly dealt with various worries of adolescence. Even when it came to systemic problems, depictions stayed at the level of the overzealous mothers in ‘Catching Up with Gangnam Moms’.”
A scene from the Netflix original drama ‘True Education’. Photo Netflix
Jeong added, “With the rise of OTT, a wide range of social themes such as full-fledged school violence, drugs, prostitution, and abuse of power began to be handled, and ‘True Education’ is like a summative work of that. Problems in schools are inherently tangled with many interests, making them complex and frustrating. By inserting a fictional organization called the Teacher Authority Protection Bureau, the show made things simple and clear; that narrative simplicity created many points of connection.”
Culture critic Gong Hee-Jin pointed to similar aspects. He said, “Today’s school dramas use children as their subject matter, yet they are practically stories about adults. While the genre has recently specialized in action, this work is compelling in how the kids respond to and confront evil.”
A scene from the Netflix original drama ‘True Education’. Photo Netflix
He added, “The fantasies of what cannot be done in reality are carried out by Na Hwa-Jin or the characters in the Teacher Authority Protection Bureau, who mete out retribution at an ‘eye for an eye’ level. That satisfies those fantasies, and I think it also brings a message that one might think, ‘If I do something bad, I could be punished.’”
Drama critic Professor Yoon Seok-Jin of Chungnam National University said it is a variation on private-vengeance stories that include ‘Mobeom Taxi’. He said, “Fundamentally, the narrative of ‘True Education’ can provide vicarious satisfaction for what cannot be done on the ground in schools. It mainly offers brisk, relieving stories, and the so-called ‘cathartic’ vibe pulls viewers in.”
A scene from the Netflix original drama ‘True Education’. Photo Netflix
Citing ‘Mobeom Taxi’, which aired through season 3 with Lee Je-Hoon in the lead, he said, “Private-vengeance stories draw diverse discourses and carry justification. ‘True Education’ may be somewhat different from the private-vengeance realm of ‘Mobeom Taxi’, but the basic emotional response can be seen as similar.” However, he also noted, “Issues of teacher authority should be brought into discourse within school settings; there is a question as to whether it is valid for the target of anger to move outside the drama and be resolved through vicarious satisfaction.”
