Teach You a Lesson () is a 2026 South Korean action school drama television series written by , Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho, directed by Hong Jong-chan, and starring Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, and Pyo Ji-hoon. Based on the Naver webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram, the series follows an inspector from the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) who is authorized by the government to use physical intervention and unconventional methods to discipline delinquent students and reform the educational system. It was released on Netflix on June 5, 2026.
The series achieved commercial success and generated strong domestic attention in South Korea, where it ranked highly across multiple buzz and popularity metrics, despite controversy surrounding the original webtoon. Critical reception was generally positive, with most reviews being favorable.
In July 2026, it was reported that a second season was under discussion, with production details such as filming schedule and cast yet to be finalized. The show topped Netflix's global non-English television chart following its release, which was cited as a factor supporting the potential renewal.
Premise In response to a rise in campus violence and the decline of faculty authority, the South Korean government establishes the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) under the Teacher Rights Protection Act, headed by Minister of Education Choi Gang-seok. The Bureau is granted the legal authority to use any form of measure, including physical force and psychological pressure, to discipline both students and teachers, and reform the school system. ERPB inspector Na Hwa-jin is dispatched to various educational institutions to dismantle hierarchies established by delinquent students and address administrative corruption. Accompanied by eccentric investigator Im Han-rim and technophilic officer Bong Geun-dae, Hwa-jin utilizes his state-sanctioned immunity to neutralize school gangs and restore order.
Cast and characters Main Kim Mu-yeol as Na Hwa-jin An intimidating former Special Forces captain-turned-inspector for the Educational Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB). Lee Sung-min as Choi Gang-seok Minister of Education and founder of the ERPB. Jin Ki-joo as Im Han-rim A former Special Forces sergeant-turned-inspector for the ERPB. She enjoys violence and is prone to screaming fits. Pyo Ji-hoon as Bong Geun-dae A KAIST graduate and 5th-grade civil servant who is hired by the ERPB. He is the brains of the operations, and is not as physically inclined as Hwa-jin and Han-rim.
Supporting Kim Jong-soo as Hwang Gi-tae A member of the National Assembly who supports the abolition of ERPB. Lee Bong-jun as Cho Gyu-cheol Ga-yoon's student, whom she cared for before he murdered her two years ago.
Daehan High School Lee Seung-gyu as Ryu Jun-hyeong A student of Class 2-5 who is a perpetrator of school violence. Kim Do-geon a Kim Gwang-su A student of Class 2-5 who is Jun-young's right arm. Lee Chan-yong as Kim Gyeong-min A student of Class 2-5 who is a victim of school violence. Jeong Soo-hyun as Park Dae-seok A student of Class 2-5 who was a victim of school violence and eventually took his own life. Song Young-gyu as Ryu Gwang-pil Jun-hyeong's father, who is a member of the National Assembly.
Guun Hitech High School Jeon Bong-seok as Kim Hyeong-ju A timid student of the school's automobile department who is not involved in any gang activity. Yoo Tae-joo as Park Seong-hwan A student of the school's automobile department, who is interested in joining Kwon-hyuk's gang. Ok Jin-uk as Cho In-beom A student of the school's electrical department, who is interested in joining Kwon-hyuk's gang. Lee Tae-hwan as Jang Kwon-hyuk A third-year student who joined a gang before graduating from the school, and has a huge influence in the school.
Soyeon Girls' High School Lee Sang-hee as Jeong Sun-young The homeroom teacher of Class 3-4 who has become disenchanted with her teaching. Kwon Hyuk as Ko Young-soo A former teacher who took his own life due to Ye-ri's manipulation of public opinion on social media. Park Seo-yoon as Han Ye-ri A student of Class 3-4 and an influencer. Kim Se-yeon as Jung So-yeong A student of Class 3-4 and Ye-ri's close friend.
Chukmyeong Foreign Language High School Bae Jun-hyung as Park Hyeon-ung The school's top student, who is from an underprivileged family background. Choi Deok-moon as Cheon Sang-yeol A teacher of the school who is also a famous online lecturer. Although boasting a perfect student record, the ERPB find evidence of collusion with the wealthy parents. Sim Su-bin as Jung Su-jeong A student of the school who benefited from her mother's connections. Kim Seon-hwa as Kim Young-ran Su-jeong's mother and the wife of the chairman of PH Group, a major corporation.
Hyunjung Elementary School Song Si-an as Choi Ji-seon The young form teacher of Class 1-3, who faced various forms of harassment from the parents of one of her students, U-jin. Park Ji-yeon as Lee Ji-young U-jin's mother, who frequently harassed Ji-seon in the context of protecting her son. Choi Ja-woon as Kim U-jin A shy student of Class 1-3. Kwon Dong-ho as Kim Seok-hyun U-jin's hot-tempered father, who works as a manager of a bank.
Hyunjin Middle School Jang Yo-hoon as Min Ji-woong A student of the school, and leads a delinquent quartet of the school who constantly caused trouble inside and outside school, but were always let go due to being under 14 at the time of committing the crimes. Kim Chae-eun as Oh Yoon-jin A student of the school who fell victim to the effects of narcotics. Lim Hyun-mook as Yoon Min-su Ji-woong's friend and member of the delinquent quartet of the school. Yoon Tae-sik as Lee Do-hyeon Ji-woong's friend and member of the delinquent quartet of the school. Choi Hyun-joon as Choi U-seong Ji-woong's friend and member of the delinquent quartet of the school. Kim Kyun-ha as Kim Su-gyeom An inmate of the juvenile correctional facility whose help Hwa-jin enlists to terrorize Ji-woong and his friends. He was imprisoned for the murder of four bullies during his high school days.
Nakwon High School Bae Jae-young as Lee Jae-yun A student of the school who is addicted to illegal online gambling, and went missing after incurring huge debts. Jo Eun-soul as Shin Ji-soo The ringleader of an illegal online gambling operation. Jo Jun-ho as Ji Sung-bin A student of the school who is Jae-yun's best friend and introduced illegal online gambling to his fellow students. Jo Hyun-wu as Jae-yun's father Jae-yun's father, an honest company worker who is forced to resign to pay for his son's gambling debts, while collecting a lot of material related to illegal online gambling, and visited the ERPB for help to look for his missing son.
Seungyeon High School Kim Tae-young as Jung Hyun-min The school's top student, who fell victim to narcotics disguised as medicine. Seo Young-hee as Hyun-min's mother Hyun-min's strict and overbearing mother, she would stop at nothing in order to make her son go to medical college, and valued medical college more than her son's well-being.
Jinwon High School Lee Woo-je as Jang Sung-gu A student of the school who was frequently exploited by Chi-ho and his friends. Kim Jae-seon as Lee Chi-ho A student of the school who frequently exploited Sung-gu while pretending to be his friend. Shin Dong-jun as Lee Jong-su A friend of Chi-ho who assisted him in exploiting Sung-gu. Lee Seung-noh as Jung Hyun-tae A friend of Chi-ho who assisted him in exploiting Sung-gu.
Special appearances Ha Young as Choi Ga-yoon Gang-seok's daughter and Hwa-jin's fiancé. She was a passionate teacher, but was murdered by her student Gyu-cheol two years ago. Her death inspired her father to establish the ERPB in her honor. Lee Yeo-jin as a news anchor Jeon Seung-hoon as Seo Tae-hoon The captain of the Kangju High School basketball team. He habitually abuses his team members.
Episodes
Production Development In late 2024, it was announced that the Naver webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram would be adapted into a drama. In early 2025, Ylab Plex announced a content supply deal with Netflix ending in August 2026, which industry analysts identified as the production window for the series. Developed under the working title True Lessons, it is produced by Ylab Plex and GTist, directed by Hong Jong-chan, and written by , Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho.
Casting Kim Nam-gil was reportedly in talks to lead the series in November 2024. On the same month, Kim Mu-yeol was confirmed to play the lead role and he cite his trust in director Hong following their collaboration on the 2022 legal drama Juvenile Justice.
Jin Ki-joo, Pyo Ji-hoon, and Lee Sung-min joined the lead cast in January 2025.Casting: JKJ: PJH: LSM: By March 2025, Netflix confirmed the four actors' appearances. In July 2025, Ha Young joined the cast.
Filming Principal photography began in the first half of 2025.
Release Initially slated for a second-quarter 2026 release, Teach You a Lesson was released exclusively on Netflix on June 5.
Reception Critical response
iMBC awarded the series 3 out of 4 stars, describing it as balancing teacher authority and student rights while avoiding the full glorification of violence. The Fact and TV Daily praised its emotional weight, realistic depiction of teacher burnout and parental negligence, and its lingering impact that prompts reflection on the education system. Ilgan Sports and Sports Today noted the cathartic satisfaction but also the bittersweet aftertaste and ethical unease. praised the series for addressing specific real-world issues such as malicious parental complaints, juvenile offenders exempt from punishment, "MZ mafia" parents, and teenage gambling/drug crimes. It commended director Hong Jong-chan and writer for focusing on structural education failures and victims' trauma. However, it criticized the series for ultimately justifying violence through extra-legal webtoon-style solutions, noting that this gap sometimes weakens narrative persuasiveness, and highlighted the irony of the 19+ rating limiting access for the teenagers most affected. Joel Keller of Decider gave the series a "Stream It" recommendation, calling it an entertaining exercise in wish-fulfillment for those frustrated by bullying and ineffective institutions. Forbes hailed the series as "one of the smartest, best-written, and most addictive feel-good dramas of the year." South China Morning Post was critical, describing the premise of government-backed corporal punishment as "alarming" and noting the series' unclear overall message.
Performances received consistent acclaim, particularly Kim Mu-yeol for his charismatic and commanding presence across action, comedy, and drama. Lee Sung-min brought gravitas as Education Minister Choi Gang-seok, while Jin Ki-joo and Pyo Ji-hoon added energy and chemistry to the team.
Viewership The series has achieved significant commercial success both domestically and internationally, holding the No. 1 position on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows list for two consecutive weeks. In its second week, it ranked among Netflix's Top 10 series in more than 90 countries and reached No. 1 in 46 countries worldwide, becoming the platform's most-watched series globally that week with 21.1 million views. It remained at No. 1 on Netflix's Non-English TV rankings for four consecutive weeks, accumulating more than 490 million hours viewed and becoming the fifth most-watched Korean Netflix original series of all time, surpassing The Glory.