On June 16, Jin Ki Joo met for an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, to discuss her role in the Netflix series. I’ll teach you a lesson.
Based on the hit webtoon of the same name, I’ll teach you a lesson tells the story of the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, an organization created to restore order to South Korea’s troubled education system, rocked by unruly students, teachers and parents who cross the line.
Before its release, I’ll teach you a lesson was embroiled in controversy over accusations of racism and sexism in the original webtoon. While the source material has gained immense popularity, it has also been criticized for depicting severe corporal punishment by supervisors against students, racial stereotypes against people of color, and scenes depicting violence against feminist educators such as “satisfy justice”. The webtoon was further criticized for allegedly equating feminist education with ideological indoctrination. After these issues sparked negative reactions in overseas communities, Naver Webtoon eventually discontinued the title on its North American platform.
Despite these concerns, I’ll teach you a lesson it quickly became a global success. Just three days after its release, the series recorded 6.4 million views calculated by dividing total viewing hours by the show’s length and rose to number one on Netflix’s global Top 10 Non-English TV list. The drama also ranked first in 10 countries, including South Korea, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, entering the Top 10 in 48 countries worldwide.
In the drama, Jin Ki Joo plays Im Han Rim, a former special forces officer turned supervisor of the Educational Rights Protection Bureau. She first appears in episode 3 as a shy student teacher at Soyeon Girls’ High School before revealing her true identity as a bureau inspector. However, its intense scenes involving military-style shouting and commanding discipline drew mixed reactions from viewers. One critic even commented on the controversy by saying: “If the work itself is not a gem but a disaster, how can there be a flaw in the gem?” criticizing the drama itself rather than just its interpretation.
When this was said, many viewers considered the role to have potential “career-defining character”, Jin Ki Joo responded positively. “That sentence is such high praise that it feels like the greatest happiness. I worked really hard during filming, so I’m relieved.” he said.
Addressing the acting controversy directly, Jin Ki Joo explained that the foundation of Im Han Rim was shaped during script readings with the director and co-stars. “Before the full reading of the script, the four members of the Teacher Rights Bureau met with the director for scene-by-scene rehearsals. If I remember correctly, the idea initially came from senior actor Lee Sung Min. I thought, ‘Oh, this could be something different'” he said.
“Since I had to play the role, I constantly watched documentaries and variety shows featuring Special Forces soldiers during training. They had a very unique, almost beastly roar. At first, even I found the sound unfamiliar,” he added.
The actress continued, “As I immersed myself in understanding Special Forces culture, I realized that this wasn’t just a concept or a performance habit. These are people who push their bodies beyond human limits for years. They have incredible physical endurance and strength. At some point, I realized that the sound came from reaching the limit of mental endurance.”
He explained that this understanding influenced his interpretation of Han Rim: “I saw Han Rim as someone who ran away from bad students but grew stronger through impossible training. That roar seemed like a way to mentally wake up. I didn’t think of it as a gimmick or device, I sincerely believed it was part of who Special Forces soldiers are.”
Jin Ki Joo also expressed affection for the character he built. “I worked really hard for Im Han Rim, and because we created the character together, I feel attached to her,” he said. “In the end, people are different and it is natural to have different opinions. Every opinion counts. People close to me say I have a fragile mentality, but what can I do? I tolerate criticism as best as I can.”
In the meantime, I’ll teach you a lesson was released on Netflix on June 5 and is currently available to stream in more than 190 countries worldwide.
Sources: Nate
