'True Education' Director: "No Bad Feelings Toward Kim Nam-gil for Rejecting Casting... We Cheer for Each Other" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

'True Education' director Hong Jong-chan spoke out regarding the casting failure of actor Kim Nam-gil that arose during the production process.

On the 11th, we met with Hong Jong-chan, the director of the Netflix series 'True Education', at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and exchanged various stories.

'True Education' is a work that depicts the bold activities of the School Authority Protection Bureau, which stands on the side of victims to correct schools. It breaks through the chaos and conflicts occurring in the educational field in a way different from before, delivering a refreshing sense of liberation.

Director Hong Jong-chan, who has presented social messages and delicate, character-centered direction through 'Youth Judge' and 'Dear My Friends', unfolds the story of a collapsed educational field from various perspectives.

Since its release on the 5th, 'True Education' recorded 6.4 million viewership hours (calculated by dividing total viewing time by the work's total runtime) within three days, topping the global TOP 10 non-English shows.

Regarding the global popularity, Director Hong Jong-chan stated, "In fact, I don't really feel the popularity. It feels like viewers have recognized the essence and sincerity of the work, so from a director's perspective, that part is meaningful."

He continued, "I hoped this work would raise certain issues, and it seems many positive reactions are coming out, which is rewarding. Also, all the main and supporting actors performed well, and the positive evaluations for each actor make me very happy."

'True Education' is a drama based on a webtoon of the same name. The webtoon faced controversy from the production stage for glorifying corporal punishment and violence within schools and using racist and hateful expressions.

In particular, news of Kim Nam-gil's casting was conveyed during the production process of 'True Education'. At the time, he publicly stated, "'True Education' is just one of the works I was offered, and I had once rejected it before. I am not unaware of the controversies or issues. I think if many people feel uncomfortable, it is right not to do such works."

Subsequently, Kim Mu-yeol was selected for the role of the protagonist, Na Hwa-jin. In response, Director Hong Jong-chan explained, "As you know, for any work, casting is the most important for achieving quality. After much deliberation, we had no choice but to find an actor, and all works go through this process."

Director Hong, who also worked with Kim Nam-gil on the drama 'My Name Is Kim Sam-soon' (2017), emphasized, "He is an excellent actor, and I always cheer for him. Since we can work together again in future projects, there is no discomfort at all. Although the casting process was made public and actor Kim Nam-gil might have been concerned, he seems to be focused on the current filming. We are in a relationship where we cheer for each other."

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*This content was translated by AI.