The Hot Topic trending at this time is on the subject of school bullying. After the Korean Dramas, The Glory gained attention worldwide, but we'll get more into that later in the article. Today, we're discussing some of the worst bullying depicted throughout Korean Dramas.
As such, the content of today's article might be triggering, so viewer discretion is advised. Have you ever wondered if the extreme bullying we've seen in K-dramas closely mirrors the actual violence that may take place in schools?
Number 11. Boys Over Flowers
Probably one of the most infamous bullies in all of Korean Dramas land, not to mention splashed across other Asian drama adaptations, is the male lead from the hit manga and anime series Boys Over Flowers.
He was known to have depicted one of the most notorious, badly behaved male characters, not just against weaker students, but he bullied our female lead to the point. Now, in this day and age, we have to question how toxic is this? It might have been received and accepted back in the day, but now it's in a gray area.
We can still appreciate the charm of the original story, but viewers are more attentive now to the sensitive subject matter. Tsukasa Domyoji or, in the Korean adaptation, as portrayed by actor Lee Min Ho. His character exhibited some toxic attributes but the romance of the OTP, overcoming the odds, and our male lead's bad habits made them an unforgettable stand-out couple.
Number 10. The School Series
Much of the school series did showcase several moments of bullying throughout, sometimes as the main focal point of the drama itself or the element of it was seen on the side as something our lead characters or as somebody that was close to them experienced.
Take for example School 2013 and also School 2015. When people think of bullies, they may think of that bigger, stronger kid lashing out at those who are weaker. But in school 2015, we saw the viciousness of girls ganging up against a fellow classmate and carrying out incredibly cruel actions towards her.
Due to a twist of circumstances, our female lead was able to begin anew and the bully gets what they deserve. Nevertheless, the scenes shown were hard to watch .
Number 9. Angry Mom
Here we have another school-set Korean Dramas where our female lead character has her standing up for her young daughter while going in disguise as a high school student to help go up against the bullies.
But it's so much more than that as it's not just other students that are doing the bullying, but also some adults within the school that are playing a devious hand in their recklessness and control against the youth.
In some scenes, we can see how people of wealth can rule over those who may not have much at all, and how they can get away with just about everything. It's not just the kids who are the bullies, but also adults who didn't outgrow their shameful ways.
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Number 8. Squid Game
The whole concept of Squid Game was to have those of unfortunate circumstances, desperate for money, go up against one another in a fight-to-the-death sequence.
Through a series of childhood games opposing our male lead and the small group he's formed an alliance with, we have a terrible thug of a character, as portrayed by the talented actor Heo Seung Tae, who seems to be the epitome of evil with no regard for others or even human life.
He will betray and step over anyone around him, taking his bullying to a disturbing level. His actions in the drama made him one of the most hated characters in the series, but to his credit, the actor did a phenomenal job playing this dark role.
Unfortunately, the role was so well acted, that it appears to have left the actor with some trauma after filming wrapped, in which he discussed in later interviews the result of playing this kind of character.
Number 7. Itaewon Class
Class and status play a part early on in the famous K-drama Itaewon Class, starring Park Seo Jun. Here, our chestnut-haired male lead faces many hardships early on after a tragedy strikes his life at the hands of a cruel classmate who is from a wealthy background.
Our male lead will overcome these obstacles as he starts his life over as a young adult and seeks to operate a pub-like bar. He will form new alliances while going up against some major corrupt rivals who seek to make him fail using devious means like sabotage and threats.
The business aggression takes bullying to a different level and viewers won't forgive the crimes of his rival.
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Number 6. Penthouse Warin Life
This K-drama not only pitted adults against each other in attempts to climb the highest level of social standing and make their mark in high society. School bullying was also a focal point in this K-drama, where rivals may escalate to violence with terrible actions against anyone they deem a threat or even someone of a lower standing.
We root for some justice to prevail, but it's a messy business, as there are teens involved who seem to bear no consequences for their terrible actions. It also feels like there's no true intervention from any adults. To prevent this, we root for our leading characters so that they can overcome the bullies that they're up against.
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Number 5. Weak Hero Class 1
Based on the successful webtoon Weak Hero Class 1 delivered stellar performances by a youthful cast. Our setting is once again in a classroom where those who wish to show their dominance by using scare tactics and aggression towards weaker students, by ordering them around and trying to control them.
However, our hero, so to speak, won't stand for it. He may not look like an incredibly big and strong kind of character, but with his genius calculations, he fights back with incredible agility.
The friendships he makes are strong but also tested and will end up giving him the ultimate challenge in the end. This drama received rave reviews from K-drama fans and season two is highly anticipated.
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Number 4. Sweet Revenge
Still covering school bullies. Sweet Revenge also known as Revenge Note our female lead has been the victim of some school bullying, but thanks to a revenge app, those responsible will face some consequences, all while she finds herself in the center of a love triangle with sweet revenge.
It will feel justified to see the bullies serve up some karma. While the K-drama does tackle the bullying topic, the rest of the drama touches on a lighter school and romance note.
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Number 3. My ID is Gangnam Beauty
Many probably think that bullying would end after high school, but sadly, those same Rev kids may drag their terrible personalities onward and into university.
While the violence and extremities might be dialed down and more subtle here, these bad students will still depict poor behavior and poor choices toward their fellow students. Our female lead underwent some plastic surgery, and while she's not directly trying to hide this, she does keep a low profile.
But it's no secret that she did have some work done. A senior student will try to take advantage of her, and his forceful and aggressive nature will be put in place when our male lead stands up against him.
But we also have our rival female student who keeps using her own natural beauty. But she has a slimy personality and she keeps trying to come between our leads while sabotaging our female lead. Our male lead, played by Cha Eun Woo, will stay by her side and protect her.
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Number 2. Save Me
Viewer discretion is highly advised for the K-drama Save Me, where we initially start out early on in the episode with some terrible school bullying against the brother of our female lead.
Not only did our female lead have bullies at the school to contend with while trying to protect her brother, but she now has to deal with an even grosser and dangerous man.
The leader of a religious cult seems to single her out despite the shocking age difference between them. He manipulates the religion to make his devious purpose come true. Her parents are clutched within the cult, and our female lead is at a complete loss, trapped and unable to get out.
But thanks to some high school students who were by her side during the high school bullying, take notice of the dangerous situation that she might be in. They form a plan to save her and get her out before it's too late.
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Bonus Mentions
- Class of Lies.
- The Heirs Movie.
- The Dude in Me (Movie).
- Lookism (Webtoon animated adaptation ).
Number 1. The Glory
The glory is definitely capturing viewers' interest, as it was highly rated throughout January 2023. When it first debuted, the story covered the extreme violence of high school brutality at the hands of a terrible group of bullies.
Our female lead grows up in the most dire of circumstances and suffers unimaginable wounds at the hands of those who belittled and controlled her. Now, as an adult, she will seek out her revenge.
Our female lead is played by Song Hye Kyo, who delivered a stunning performance in this role. Netizens also raved that the younger cast was so well matched to the older casting counterparts so phenomenally that viewers could almost not differentiate between the older leads and the cast that played them as high school students.
Their appearances and features were so spot on. The Glory Season Two is highly anticipated.
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Wrapping Up (Top 11 Korean Dramas That Center Around Bullying )
This theme appears to be intertwined into many school-set dramas. While many bullying characters may have not grown respectfully as the story progresses, it seems often they took their bad manners and actions with them into adulthood.
It's also clear that this is a sensitive topic, which will continue to be shown in dramas and shed light on the cruelty of others, thus relaying a powerful message. If you think of any other dramas that might show the harsh realities of bullying, you can let us know about them in the comment section down below.
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