Before we put forth our list of top Korean dramas about bullying and school violence let’s discuss in brief how bullying, harassment and school violence can have long-lasting effects on a victim’s mind. Bullying and school violence are issues which can be found anywhere in the world. Kdramas always highlight extreme cases of bullying and they are highly disturbing for the audience.
Many people come forward to disclose what they have gone through in their school days. Many times happens that the victims are not able to get justice or their careers are ruined. Even if the victims seem to move on in their lives, the effects of horror flashback in their minds. We hope parents would teach more humanity to their children so they would not treat other humans like that.
Without any delay, here is our list of top Kdramas about bullying, some of these dramas highlight extreme bullying which can be disturbing for a sensitive audience. (Do not worry, we will point out that)
Note: The numbering is random and they all are quite popular Kdramas.
1: The Glory (2022):
The Glory is one of the famous Kdramas which highlight the issue of extreme bullying. It can be highly disturbing for a sensitive audience (it was disturbing for me and I had to skip some scenes). The series is about a poor high school girl who becomes the victim of extreme bullying and physical violence at the hands of a rich spoiled group. There is no sympathy in their hearts, they beat her and even burn her body parts. Years later, the victim returns to take her revenge but the aftermath of that violence still disturbs her.
The Glory gained so much popularity on Netflix as people across the world started loving Kdramas more than anything. Moreover, the way the makers handled the story is remarkable. Season 2 of The Glory is on the way and fans are excited to see how the lead character Moon Dong Eun takes her revenge.
Song Hye-Kyo played the lead role in The Glory. Jung Ji-so played the young Moon Dong Eun is such an amazing actress and did complete justice to her role. The same goes for Shin Ye-eun who played the villain role as a high school student and is an amazing actress.
2: Revenge of Others (2022):
Revenge of Others is one of the Korean dramas which highlights the issue of sexual assault and bullying in high school. Shin Ye-eun is playing a strong female character who enters a high school Yong-Tan after her brother commits suicide. She does not believe that her brother can commit suicide so in order to reveal the truth she joins the school where bullying and assault are common.
Lomon is playing the character of a boy who helps the victims by beating the bullies but he gets money in exchange. He needs money for his treatment. This is one of the Kdramas about bullying which is an interesting watch as bullies get what they deserve.
3: Extracurricular (2020):
Extracurricular is one of the best Korean dramas about bullying and school violence. This Kdrama highlights many serious crimes which young people commit deliberately or because they are forced by society. The drama highlights the issues of sex trafficking, bullying, school violence, drugs, PTSD and prostitution among the young generation. This is indeed a drama not for weak hearts as it can be disturbing for so many people because of all the issues it highlights.
The cast of Extracurricular includes Park Ju-hyun, Dong-Hee Kim, Nam Yoon-Su and many other young actors. It is one of the famous Kdrama on Netflix but you can also
4: The Uncanny Counter (2020):
The Uncanny Counter is one of the best Korean dramas about bullying and how a victim stands for himself and for other students. This Kdrama is about So-Min who seems a weak boy who cripples and becomes a toy in the hands of a bullying group in school. He wants to take revenge but as he is not so strong he is unable to protect himself and his friends.
After he gets some power, he restores his physical strength and stands against the bullying. He makes it clear that now they cannot touch him or his friends. He also wants to make them good humans though it is not easy as evil has prevailed in the city. There is a second season of The Uncanny Counter in the making and we are excited to see what it has stored for us. Jo Byun-gyu, Yoo Jung-sang, Kim Se-jeong, Yeom Hye-ran played the lead roles in the first season of The Uncanny Counter.
5: Weak Hero Class One (2022):
It is one of those Korean dramas about extreme bullying which is not available on a free platform like Netflix or Kissasian, however, it remained the talk of the town after its release. It is based on a web series so people ( like me) are eagerly waiting for its availability. One reason is Shin Seung-ho who played the role of the crown prince in The Alchemy of Soul. Though he is playing a supporting role, fans are excited to see him. Weak Hero Class One highlights the issue of school bullying.
It is a drama about physically weak students who are constantly beaten up by bullies. The courageous students who stand up against the bullies and the bullies who try to make life hell for other students. The drama has eight episodes.
6: The King of Pigs (2022):
It is one of the Kdramas about bullying which is set in the future and the memories take the victims back in the past. The drama starts with two friends who were victims of school bullying in the past. They meet and recall the events of the past as there is serial killings start occurring. This serial killing has a connection with the bullying which occurred in their school days. It is one of the Korean dramas about bullying based on true events and adapted from the animated film of the same name. It has 12 episodes.
7: Angry Mom (2015):
This is one of the famous Korean dramas about bullying which portrays the strong role of a mother. Jo Kang-ja is the mother of a high school student Oh Ah-ran. Though she works hard on her relationship with her daughter, her daughter always runs away from her. One day, the mother finds out that her daughter is bullied by her school fellows, she wants to handle the situation but her daughter asks her to stay away.
Jo Kang-ja decides to join the school as a student and changes her name. She tries to protect her daughter and the other students from the rich spoiled students who are bullies. It is also revealed that she was expelled from school due to the bullies in her time. Angry Mom has 16 episodes. Kim Hee-sun and Kim Yoo-Jung played the lead roles in the drama.
8: Who are You School 2015 (2015):
It is one of those top Korean dramas about bullying which makes your blood boil. The drama is about a poor student Lee Eun-bi who becomes a victim of extreme bullying at the hands of other female rich students. They make her life hell and one day she decides to commit suicide. She has a twin sister who is adopted by a rich couple and lives a luxurious life.
After coming to know about her twin sister’s wretched life, the rich twin decides to join the same school by disguising herself as her sister. She is a strong person who is completely opposite to her victim sister and gives the bullies what they deserve. Kim So-hyun played the lead role in Who are You School 2015.
9: Save Me (2017):
Save Me is one of the Korean dramas about extreme bullying in the school and at the hands of a religious leader. The drama highlights the religious cult which befools its followers. Sang-mi and Sang-jin are twin siblings. Sang-jin has a physical disability and he always faces bullying at school. He is often beaten up and humiliated by the spoiled students in school. Sang-mi tries to save him but one day he commits suicide. This leads their family to be the blind follower of a religious leader.
Sang-mi started hating it after her brother committed suicide and her mother lost her sanity but the religious leader assured her father that he would save them from further destruction. Sang-mi asks for help from her school fellows who are good humans while she is trapped in a vicious cycle. Ok Taec-yeon and Seo Yea-ji play the lead characters.
10: My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018):
It is one of those Kdramas about bullying where the victim is ridiculed and mocked for her physical features. We all know how the beauty standard in Korea works and if someone does not have that particular features which are set by society, life becomes hell. She decides to undergo surgery but it does not make her life better. The bullies find a new way to humiliate her. Until she finds support in the form of another student who protects her and falls in love with her.
11: True Beauty (2020):
True Beauty is another drama which almost depicts the same kind of bullying as the Kdrama The Gangnam Beauty. The lead character is not only ridiculed by her school fellows but also by her mother. Her mother is ashamed of her and she always taunts her because she does not fit society’s beauty standards. She tried to hide her real face under the makeup. However, she finds the love of her life who accepts her as who she is.
(She was already beautiful, just some acne marks on her face and people treat her like trash, what a ridiculous portrayal of women, this is the reason I am not so fond of True Beauty). It is one of the most famous Korean school dramas about bullying where the victim is always on the run to save herself from humiliation.
12: Boys Over Flower (2009):
It is one of the most famous Kdramas which is quite popular worldwide. The drama focuses on class differences but more than that it is about bullying and school violence which makes it one of the Korean dramas about bullying.
A young girl who belongs to a poor family joins a high-profile school after getting an opportunity. She annoys a rich arrogant and famous boy from the school and the school turns against her. They bully her in every possible way and even try to harm her. The situation starts becoming worse until the famous rich boy falls in love with her and announces her as his girlfriend. You can watch the drama on Netflix.
13: Pyramid Game (2024):
It is quite impossible if Kdrama industry does not produce a school Kdrama every year which contains lots of bullying and disturbing scenes. However, we cannot blame them as they are so good at it. Kdrama Pyramid Game 2024 revolves around a game.
The game decides who will be the boss at school, the contestant who gets an F grade has to face violence at school. Things start changing when a new student Seong Su-ji gets F grade and faces violence. She decides to rebel against it and search for the game creator as it is a mystery. She stands against bullies and tries to change the system. The drama is liked by the audience for its different concept from other Kdramas about bullying.
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