Teach You a Lesson

In 2026, Netflix dropped a Korean series that flips the script on school discipline dramas. Teach You a Lesson, created by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram, follows Na Hwa-jin (Kim Moo-yul), an inspector from the fictional Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB). Armed with government authority, he uses physical intervention and unorthodox tactics to tame delinquent students and shake up a rigid education system. The show blends action, drama, and comedy, with Lee Sung-min as Choi Kang-seok, a seasoned principal who clashes with Hwa-jin's methods, and Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim, a teacher caught between reform and tradition. Directed by Hong Jong-chan and written by Lee Nam-kyu, Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho, the series ran for a single season of ten episodes, all released on June 5, 2026. Each episode runs 70 minutes, and the TV-MA rating signals its unflinching look at bullying and violence in schools. Despite its brief run, it earned a stellar 9.445 rating from over 750 votes, making it a standout in the action-drama genre. The show's tone is sharp and satirical, never shying away from the messy realities of school politics. [edit]

The series is set in a near-contemporary South Korea where the National Assembly and the Minister of Education have passed the Amendment to the Act on the Protection of Teachers' Rights, a sweeping piece of legislation that fundamentally reshapes how schools handle discipline and violence. With the passage of this law, a new government organization called the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) is formed, a quasi-military agency tasked with restoring order in schools where teachers have lost all authority. The series follows Na Hwa-jin, a supervisor assigned to the ERPB who is dispatched to problem schools to intervene where traditional educators have failed. Hwa-jin is a military veteran with an unorthodox approach: he uses physical intervention and aggressive tactics to tame delinquent students, operating under the legal mandate that grants him authority to educate students "without any restrictions or limitations."

The central conflict pits Hwa-jin against the entrenched power structures that enable student misbehavior. His primary antagonist is Cho Gyu-cheol, the spoiled son of a powerful politician who believes he is above the law. After being sentenced to two years in a youth detention center, Cho manipulates his political connections to secure an early release and returns to his former school, where he resumes his reign of terror. Hwa-jin's mission is to teach him, and others like him, a lesson. The ensemble is rounded out by Choi Kang-seok, a seasoned principal who represents the old guard of Korean education, clashing with Hwa-jin's methods; Im Han-rim, a teacher caught between reform and tradition; and the ERPB team of Bong Geun-dae and Hwang Gi-tae. Choi Ga-yun adds a personal dimension to the story.

The series' single season of ten episodes, each running approximately 70 minutes, explores the messy realities of school politics through a blend of action set pieces, dark comedy, and social commentary. The show's tone is sharp and satirical, never shying away from the uncomfortable questions it raises: Is violence ever justified in protecting students? Can the system be reformed from within, or does it require an outside force to break it apart? The series has been described as a commentary on the extreme pressure surrounding education in Korea, where the stakes of academic success create a toxic environment that enables bullying and abuse. The TV-MA rating signals its unflinching look at the violence and brutality that can occur in school settings.[edit]