[Sportschosun reporter Jo Ji-young] Director Hong Jong-chan said, "I’m glad that viewers seem to have recognized the essence and sincerity of the work."
Hong Jong-chan, who directed the Netflix series 'Teach You a Lesson' written by Lee Nam-gyu, Kim Da-hee and Moon Jong-ho, met with Sportschosun in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 11th and explained the production process.
Hong Jong-chan also spoke about the positive response after the release. "Honestly, I still don’t fully feel it yet. As a director, it means a lot that viewers seem to understand the essence and sincerity of the work. I hoped it would become a series that raises questions, and many people seem to be talking about it in a positive way, which is rewarding. I’m also so happy that the rookie actors are receiving such good reviews," he said with a smile.
He also addressed the encouraging response from the education sector. Earlier, on the 8th, the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) issued a statement saying, "'Teach You a Lesson' exposed, without embellishment, the harsh reality of broken classrooms, the serious violations of teachers' authority by some students who have become uncontrollable, and the despair of teachers who have been left powerless by malicious complaints." In response, he said cautiously, "There have been reactions from teachers, but I’m glad that ordinary parents and citizens have responded in so many different ways. I haven’t looked closely at KFTA’s statement, but I am aware of it."
On the series becoming a K-series that drew attention around the world, he said, "I thought the issues involving children and relationships would be similar in any country. I think that is why so many people related to it. There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and I think that resonated worldwide. It seems the same everywhere in the world."
Speaking about adapting the original webtoon into a series, he added, "We only took the core idea of the Educational Protection Bureau from the original and rebuilt everything else from scratch. Internally, we kept filtering it to make sure there would be no discomfort for viewers. At the production presentation, Kim Moo-yul said, 'We speak through the work,' and directing was the same. We had no choice but to speak through the work, and I’m grateful that people recognized the essence and sincerity behind it. There was controversy, but I wasn’t anxious. I believed that once people watched the series, they would quickly realize that we made it with complete sincerity."
Based on the webtoon of the same name by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram, 'Teach You a Lesson' depicts the satisfying and refreshing actions of the Educational Protection Bureau, an agency created to protect Korea’s education system from over-the-line students, teachers and parents. Kim Moo-yul, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo and Pyo Ji-hoon star in the series. The script was written by Lee Nam-gyu, Kim Da-hee and Moon Jong-ho, who also worked on 'Daily Dose of Sunshine,' and it was directed by Hong Jong-chan of 'Juvenile Justice' and 'Mr. Plankton.' It was released on Netflix on the 5th.
Jo Ji-young, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
