TRIGGER WARNING - Mention of Bullying 

Several K-dramas have effectively managed to weave the narrative of school bullying and present them on the screen with complete justice. These K-dramas properly showcase the different sides of bullying that people face in school and how it affects the individual.

School bullying is a serious social issue that is prevalent in modern Korean society and these K-dramas have shed a light on the same.

K-dramas that address school bullying

1. The Glory

The first part of The Glory premiered on Netflix on December 30, 2022, starring Lee Do Hyun and Song Hye Kyo. This K-drama is based on revenge and quickly became one of the favourite dramas for viewers. The Glory follows the story of Dong Eun, who was severely bullied in high school by her fellow students. However, she was not able to do anything about bullying as no one was willing to help her, not even her teachers and parents. She later dropped out of high school and formulated a plan on how to take revenge on her bullies. Over the years, Dong Eun has started bringing her plans into action to take her revenge. It was later revealed that the bullying incidents shown in this K-drama are based on real life incidents.

The Glory Part 2 is all set to be released on Netflix on March 10, 2022.

2. True Beauty

True Beauty is also a K-drama that sheds light on bullying faced by high school students. It stars Moon Ga Young, Cha Eun Woo, Hwang In Yeop, and Park Yoo Na. The character played by Moon Ga Young gets severely bullied in high school because of the way she looks. This has a negative impact on her self-esteem and she starts hiding behind layers of makeup in her new school. Even then, she remains fearful of her bullies who have negatively affected her throughout her teen years.

3. Who Are You: School 2015

Despite the real focus of Who Are You: School 2015 being placed on the love triangle, it also emphasizes the underlying bullying incidents and their after-effects on the victims during their high school years. It follows the story of Lee Eun Bi, an orphan girl who gets bullied for the same reason by her awful classmates. After a serious accident, Lee Eun Bi gets to reunite with her twin sister. The drama stars Kim So Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, and Yook Sung Jae.

4. Moment of Eighteen

Moment of Eighteen stars Ong Seong Wu, Shin Seung Ho, Kang Ki Young, and Kin Hyang Gi. This K-drama follows the storyline of Choi Joon Woo who gets transferred to a different school due to unfair incidents. At this new school, Choi Joon Woo's classmates keep making fun of him, which makes his life more difficult.

5. My ID is Gangnam Beauty

This K-drama stars Im Soo Hyang, Cha Eun Woo, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Jo Woo Ri. Im Soo Hyang is bullied so much in high school that she along with her mother decide to undergo cosmetic surgery. Im Soo Hyang gets tired of the ridicule that she faced from classmates for her looks and how the classmates do not go beyond her looks. My ID is Gangnam Beauty also highlights the insecurity that an individual has to deal with even after becoming conventionally pretty.

6. The Heirs

The Heirs is one of the most popular K-dramas, which depicts the family quarrels of rich high school students and how they are groomed to work in their family’s conglomerates. However, it also showcases the underlying bullying incidents that rich students get away with because of the status of their families. The Heir stars Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin, and Kim Ji Won.

7. Itaewon Class

Itaewon Class also sheds light on the bullying faced by Park Seo Joon from Ahn Bo Hyun’s character. This K-drama stars Park Seon Joon, Yoo Jae Myung, Kwon Nara, and Kim Da Mi. It depicts how the character of Ahn Bo Hyun is extremely toxic because of the status and money of his father. He keeps bullying Park Seo Joon. When Park Seo Joon retaliates, the former completely ruins his life. Park Seo Joon finds it difficult to lead an honest and happy life because of the hurt he faces.

There are also other Korean dramas which showcase school bullying such as Boys Over Flowers. However, the bullies in this series are the heroes who later address this problem. But the narrative of the show quickly shifts to the love story of the main leads.

ALSO READ: The Glory Part 2: Song Hye Kyo narrates her last letter to Im Ji Yeon in the harrowing teaser