According to the global streaming service giant's report released on December 13, the South Korean series recorded 622.8 million hours of viewing in the first half of this year. The most-watched content was "The Night Agent: Season 1" with 812.1 million hours, followed by "Ginny & Georgia: Season 2" with 665.1 million hours.
In the South Korean series, famous actress Song Hye-kyo plays a character named Moon Dong-eun, who was victimized by her wealthy peers during her teenage years. Although Moon's teachers were aware of the abuse, her friends were never punished properly. Moon later becomes an elementary school teacher and seeks revenge for her classmates.
Despite the bullying allegations against its director, The Glory has maintained its explosive popularity. In March 2023, The Glory director Ahn Gil-ho apologized to a victim who accused Ahn of bullying while studying abroad in the Philippines. The alleged victim said he or she was beaten by about 10 people including Ahn for teasing Ahn's girlfriend.
In a survey of 486,276 students between fourth to 12th graders, conducted by South Korea's education ministry between April 10 and May 10, 10,724 respondents said they experienced school violence. Among various types of violence, verbal abuse accounted for the largest portion with 37.7 percent, followed by physical abuse with 18.1 percent.
The domestic entertainment community has been embroiled in a wave of school bullying scandals. Many young fans expressed outrage over school bullying, urging labels to take action against artists who were found to have been perpetrators. K-pop girl band (G)I-DLE lost its sixth member after a 25-year-old singer was caught up in a school bullying scandal and dropped out.
Le Sserafim, initially a six-member girl group formed by Hybe's music label Source Music, has worked as a five-member group since May 2022 when its member Kim Ga-ram was allegedly embroiled in school bullying. Source Music terminated the contract with the troubled member in July 2022.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
