[Sportschosun Jo Ji-young] Actor Kim Mu-yeol, 44, said, "I feel uncomfortable and sorry about the Kim Nam-gil controversy over turning down the role."
At an interview for the Netflix series Teach You a Lesson on the afternoon of the 12th, Kim Mu-yeol spoke candidly about the controversy surrounding his role as Na Hwa-jin, an inspector at the School Rights Protection Bureau who coolly resolves a range of problems at school in his own way. The series had initially cast Kim Nam-gil early in production, but opposition from fans grew amid controversy surrounding the project. He ultimately declined the role and drew attention after posting about the casting on social media himself. Kim later reinforced that stance at a The Fiery Priest production presentation in November 2024, saying, "If fans are uncomfortable with it, then it’s right not to do it." Kim Nam-gil eventually stepped away from Teach You a Lesson, and Kim Mu-yeol filled the vacancy.
Kim Mu-yeol said, "I keep hearing about Kim Nam-gil, and at this point it feels like it may actually be rude to him, so I’m being even more careful and I feel sorry."
He added, "I only ever greeted Kim Nam-gil in a private setting, but what I remember most from that time was his support, encouragement, and respect. In particular, his character work in The Shameless gave me a great deal of inspiration. I was such a fan that whenever I took on a project, I would think back to that performance and draw inspiration from it. It is simply upsetting and uncomfortable that this keeps coming up."
He also said, "Things like this happen all the time during the casting process. To be honest, in many of the projects I have done, I was not the first choice. With that in mind, I started this project thinking that the controversy was just part of the casting process. Beyond that, concerns and worries about the project were always on the minds of the director and the production team from the very beginning. We kept checking ourselves throughout the process to make sure we had not lost our way, and even after filming ended, we were careful while editing and working on the project."
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 crackdown carried out by the School Rights Protection Bureau, an organization created to protect the country’s education system from students, teachers, and parents who cross the line. Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, and Pyo Ji-hoon star in the series. It was written by Lee Nam-gyu, Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho, the writers of Daily Dose of Sunshine, and directed by Hong Jong-chan, who helmed Juvenile Justice and Mr. Plankton. The series was released on Netflix on the 5th.
Jo Ji-young, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
