Tag: South Korea

Teach you a Lesson

Published on by wordhuesLeave a comment

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The Netflix series is adapted from the Naver webtoon Get Schooled which takes a bold look at the failures of Korea’s education system and the troubling leniencies given to juvenile offenders. In Korea, young offenders often receive lighter punishments due to their age, a loophole that has drawn many teenagers and young adults into crime. The series dramatizes this issue through the creation of the fictional Educational Rights Protection Board (ERPB), an agency formed after the tragic death of a teacher at the hands of a student. Its mission is to reform schools so that students can thrive regardless of their backgrounds, while ensuring that offenders are held accountable for the harm they cause.

Led by Education Minister Choi Gangseok, the ERPB team—Na Hwajin, Im Harim, and Bong Geundae—travels across the country to confront problematic schools. Their approach is uncompromising, using every method available to “straighten out” troubled students and teachers while tackling the root causes of dysfunction. This narrative highlights the importance of early intervention, showing that shaping children’s minds at the right age can prevent destructive adult behavior and, ultimately, reshape society.

The series is compelling in its social critique and gripping in its drama, but it leaves viewers wanting more depth in the characters’ backstories. While the focus on systemic reform is powerful, the show misses opportunities to explore how each ERPB member’s own school experiences shaped their moral drive to fix the system. I think that if there were more detailed flashbacks to their personal struggles of the team members could have added emotional resonance and made the characters more relatable. It feels as though the 10-episode format constrained the storytelling, prioritizing the reform narrative over character development and limiting its ability to connect deeply with viewers.

Despite these limitations, Get Schooled is definitely worth watching. It offers a refreshing take on education as crime prevention and demonstrates that the right actions taken at the right time can transform not just individuals but society as a whole.

Juvenile Justice

Published on by wordhues2 Comments

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The series revolve around the South Korean legal system.

In South Korea, children between 10-13 are sentenced to “reformation” which aims to for rehabilitation of the child back to society. However, children between 14-18 can be punished either with reformations or official punishment such as prison terms.

The series follows the story of Shim Eun-seok, a judge of the Juvenile Court who seems to harbor a strong dislike for juvenile offenders. At first look she seems like a cold hearted person with a vendetta to punish the children with the worst ruling that could be given.

Over the course of the series, the viewer will understand that Eun-seok is the kind of judge that goes above and beyond her job requirements. She sought to understand the mind set of the offender, to understand if there was any sought of genuine regret of the crime that was committed and not just taking the words that are spoken by them at face value. She is well aware that the lawyers that take up such cases try to give the offenders a loop hole to get the minimum sentencing possible.

In the series, we get a backstory to her life which puts a light on why was she so severe towards the juvenile offenders. We also see the life of another judge by the name of Kim Mu-yeol, who seems to be the other side of the coin. He believes in second chances and always believes that children when given enough care can be better. The series gives a peep into his past as well to understand the development of his character.

The series is definitely worth a watch in my opinion. The writer certainly knows how to tap into the emotions of the viewers helping one really connect with the main characters as well as the different situations faced by the children in each of the episodes.