'True Education' Rises to Hit Status After Early Sexism, Racism and Assault Controversies

Netflix's new series 'True Education' opened with controversy and intense public attention at the same time, but its performance has ultimately turned strongly positive. The show has climbed to No. 3 globally, signaling that its early backlash has not stopped it from becoming a major hit on the platform.

According to FlixPatrol, an OTT content ranking aggregation site, 'True Education' ranked third in Netflix's global Top 10 TV shows as of June 8, with 674 points. The series had debuted at No. 5 on June 6, meaning it rose two places in just two days. The No. 1 spot went to 'The Young Witness,' while 'Michael Jackson Trial: Verdict' placed second.

The number of countries where 'True Education' reached No. 1 also increased sharply. The series topped Netflix charts in 27 countries in total, including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Peru, Indonesia, Bolivia, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and Pakistan. Compared with its first-day performance, when it ranked No. 1 in only two countries, the figure has grown by more than tenfold.

Based on the webtoon of the same name, 'True Education' depicts the cathartic and hard-hitting actions of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau, an organization created to defend South Korea's collapsing education scene from students, teachers and parents who cross the line. The series is directed by Hong Jong-chan, who has portrayed characters facing many different stages of life through works including the Netflix series 'Juvenile Justice' and the drama 'Dear My Friends.' The script was written by Lee Nam-gyu, who has raised social questions worth considering together through projects such as the Netflix series 'Daily Dose of Sunshine' and the drama 'The Light in Your Eyes.'

Kim Mu-yeol gives a committed performance as Na Hwa-jin, an inspector at the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau who solves various school problems in his own direct way. Lee Sung-min plays Choi Kang-seok, the Minister of Education who founded the bureau. Jin Ki-joo appears as Im Han-lim, a bureau inspector and former special forces soldier, while Pyo Ji-hoon plays Bong Geun-dae, a genius administrative officer at the bureau.

Before its release, the drama was already caught up in criticism because it inherited controversies surrounding the original webtoon, including accusations of racism and sexism. Although the original webtoon was highly popular, it also drew backlash for scenes in which inspectors used severe violence against students, for racially discriminatory expressions toward people of color, and for presenting a scene in which a teacher who taught feminism was slapped in the face as a satisfying moment. It also caused controversy by equating feminism education with anti-communist indoctrination.

Because of those issues, public concern poured in after news of the drama adaptation became known. As criticism spread and the problems were highlighted in overseas communities as well, Naver Webtoon suspended service of the webtoon on its North American platform.