[Focus] A Revenge Drama Created by the School Violence Perpetrator from 'The Glory'

Genre-Driven Thrills of Personal Revenge
Strong Solidarity, Elegant Approach
Outstanding Performances by Song Hye-kyo, Yeom Hye-ran, Jung Sung-il, and Others
School Violence and Hatred Stigma... Disappointing Ending

"Yeonjin, there is no forgiveness. So there will be no glory either."

Moon Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo) murmurs this toward Park Yeon-jin (played by Lim Ji-yeon), who tormented her and crushed her spirit during high school. This line runs through the drama, meaning that if someone bullies others, the consequences will inevitably come back to them. The older generation turns a blind eye, and the world is obsessed with money and fame. Dong-eun vows personal revenge.

The online video service (OTT) series The Glory gained popularity by faithfully delivering the thrills of a revenge drama, but it was later revealed that the director was a school violence perpetrator. Who, then, can truly bring glory to whom?

Bravo Yeonjin, Netflix TV #1

'The Glory' stills [Photo by Netflix]

The Glory is a 16-episode series divided into two parts of 8 episodes each, written by screenwriter Kim Eun-sook and starring actress Song Hye-kyo, attracting attention from the planning stage. Part 1 was released on December 30 last year and ranked #1 in the global top 10 (non-English) TV shows, gaining popularity. Part 2, released on the 10th, was also the most-watched content in 38 countries.

It truly enjoyed a craze-like popularity. The drama unfolds in the form of Moon Dong-eun’s diary. The revenge diary Dong-eun writes to Park Yeon-jin is inserted as narration. The line starting with "Yeonjin-ah" spread like a meme (online viral content). Everyone was busy looking for Yeonjin everywhere.

Song Hye-kyo received a "rediscovery" evaluation, solidifying her position further, and Lim Ji-yeon, Jung Sung-il, Cha Ju-young, Kim Geon-woo, and Kim Hee-ra also received intense attention. Scripts flooded the cast members. Their schedules were packed with various advertisements and interviews. Their status changed before and after The Glory.

Kim Eun-sook, who wrote Descendants of the Sun, Goblin (2016), and Mr. Sunshine (2018), expanded her domain to OTT, proving the strength of K-content.

How The Glory Portrays Revenge

'The Glory' stills [Photo by Netflix]

The Glory carefully laid out the "bait" and foreshadowing for revenge in Part 1. Seventeen years ago, Park Yeon-jin and her children, who made Moon Dong-eun’s body and mind sick, didn’t even know what they had done wrong. Dong-eun vows revenge against the shameless perpetrators who mock and ridicule her when she demands an apology. From that day, Dong-eun’s target became Yeonjin.

Yeonjin hides her face, has a seemingly respectable job as a weathercaster, and not only that, she married a wealthy man and has a daughter. Dong-eun bursts into laughter at Yeonjin’s still shameless appearance. Dong-eun decides to become a sinister rumor about Yeonjin and carefully sets up the stage for revenge, executing her plans one by one.

Moon Dong-eun does not directly punish the perpetrators. She only sets light traps, but the perpetrators willingly step into them. Dong-eun succeeds in revenge by making Yeonjin and her group self-destruct in the swamp of desire and selfishness.

Personal revenge is a good material for content. It often appears because it delivers catharsis through sharp punishment and faithfully conveys the message the work wants to express. The Glory talks about revenge in an elegant way through the strong solidarity of victims like Dong-eun and Hyun-nam (played by Yeom Hye-ran). The perpetrators blinded by desire get caught in the webs they spun themselves and perish, which differentiates the drama. The work provides vicarious satisfaction in a rather sophisticated way.

On the other hand, the hateful gaze toward women was pointed out as a problem. Male perpetrators are punished by death, the simplest method in the drama, but female perpetrators are punished socially, such as by distributing illegal videos. This cannot avoid criticism as reflecting a hateful perspective. Unnecessary depiction and consumption of the female body were also criticized.

Turns out the Director Was a School Violence Perpetrator?

'The Glory' stills [Photo by Netflix]

On the day The Glory was released, the 10th, allegations of school violence against director Ahn Gil-ho PD surfaced. On that day, a post appeared on a Korean-American community board in the U.S., claiming that during his study abroad in the Philippines in 1996, Ahn PD committed school violence. The author claimed, "We, middle school 2nd graders attending an international school, were assaulted by Ahn PD, who was a 3rd-year student at a local high school in the Philippines."

The author said they became aware of Ahn PD when he started dating a female classmate. Friends teased Ahn PD’s girlfriend because she was dating a high school senior while they were middle school 2nd graders, and upon learning this, Ahn PD called two people and assaulted them as a representative. When the allegations surfaced, Netflix only gave a brief statement saying "fact-checking is underway" and released the content as scheduled.

It was only three days after the weekend holiday that a statement was made. Kim Moon-hee, lawyer at the law firm Jipyung representing director Ahn, said on the 13th, "I deeply apologize to those who were hurt. If given the opportunity, I would like to meet them in person or convey my apology by phone. I am sorry for causing controversy due to this unfortunate matter."

He added, "Ahn PD had a girlfriend during his study abroad in the Philippines, and upon hearing that his girlfriend was being teased at school because of him, he momentarily lost control of his emotions and caused irreparable harm to others," apologizing.

Lack of Verification System, Controversy Invites Backlash

While the highly polished The Glory deserves praise, criticism arose that it was a case of "dragon head, snake tail" (great start, poor finish). When viewers realized that the school violence scenes created by a perpetrator were not fiction, discomfort arose, saying it could no longer be viewed as a drama. From now on, the fact that the director was a school violence perpetrator will follow the series like a stigma.

Considering the influence of content, verification is essential. It is known that related questions were asked mainly to the lead actors during casting, but this is not true. The words of the cast members confirmed in interviews were different.

Cha Ju-young said, "We checked the school violence history before casting and filming," but Lim Ji-yeon firmly stated, "We only talked about the production team and the characters; there was no verification about school days." She drew a clear line, saying she never discussed personal background aside from the work.

Summarizing the actors’ statements, the The Glory production team only discussed the actors and characters but did not thoroughly verify their school days. Under these circumstances, it is unlikely that the production team itself was verified.

'The Glory' stills [Photo by Netflix]

An official from a content production company said, "Considering the social impact of K-content dealing with social injustice and taboos, verifying the cast is essential." He added, "Recently, there is a trend to be more cautious in casting for content expected to have considerable influence."

He continued, "Not only the cast but also the director and writer must be selected carefully. In the past, there was an atmosphere of 'famous people can be trusted,' but now, since it is impossible to predict where and what will explode, people are more cautious."

Another official said, "It is difficult to grasp everything about the past of non-celebrities, celebrities, and production staff, and realistically, perfect verification is difficult. Often, it is left to individual conscience, but most perpetrators do not remember their actions." He added, "Unlike before, if a production risk occurs, the damage is considerable. It feels like walking on thin ice with many lives at stake."

Lim Ji-yeon said this while letting go of the character Park Yeon-jin she played in The Glory during an interview with Asia Economy on the 17th.

"Yeonjin, there is no forgiveness. I hope you pay for your sins for life and regret and reflect on what you did."