Did you know? Song Hye Kyo new Korean drama The Glory contains a bullying scene that stemmed from two real-life true story cases. So what are the cases, and what really happened at the time? Check out the following report for the complete stories.
*THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS AND STORIES OF BULLYING THAT MAY DISTURB SOME READERS. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.*
Song Hye Kyo New Korean Drama THE GLORY Bullying Scene Stemmed from TRUE STORY
Prominent actress Song Hye Kyo and her new Korean drama The Glory have indeed captivated the viewers with its heartbreaking storyline and dramatic scene.
From the creative minds of top-tier writer Kim Eun Sook, interpretations and magic hands of director Ahn Gil Ho, to the outstanding performances of Song Hye Kyo, Lee Do Hyun, Lim Ji Won, and other casts, The Glory Korean drama became a sensation immediately after its release date.
One of the most heartbreaking moments in watching The Glory is when the Korean drama depicted a horrible bullying scene during its first episode. While this scene caused controversy due to its cruel details, it perfectly depicted the problematic bullying issue currently happening in South Korea and all around the world.
Bullying is never a case that can simply be solved with apologies. But in South Korea, there are bullying cases that end with the perpetrator getting away unscathed. School bullying, in particular, has become a hot topic in South Korea because it involves underage perpetrators who will face minimal consequences due to their young age, no matter how terrible their actions are.
While some viewers believe that the bullying scene was too graphic and violent, little did they know that this scene actually happened in real life. There were reportedly 2 real-life bullying cases that inspired what happened during The Glory Korean drama bullying scene, and you will not believe how horrible they are.
REAL-LIFE True Story Cases That Inspired Bullying Scene in THE GLORY Korean Drama Starring Song Hye Kyo
Previously during The Glory press conference, Kim Eun Sook testified that she got the inspiration for the Korean drama from her daughter. At the time, her daughter asked her whether it would hurt more if she beat someone to death or if someone beat her to death. The question horrified Kim Eun Sook, and she immediately went to her studio to write.
During her writing process, Kim Eun Sook stated that she had researched school bullying cases and heard a lot of stories from the victims. Today, after The Glory Korean drama went public, many people realized that the specific bullying scene during Episode 1 came from 2 REAL-LIFE true story bullying cases.
1. The Curling-Iron School Violence Case in 2006
The first real-life true story case that inspired Korean drama The Glory bullying scene was known as The Curling-Iron Violence Case.
In 2006, there was a severe school violence happening at Cheongju Girls’ Middle School. At the time, female student Kim habitually bullied her friend Jeong using unfathomable violence.
Claiming that Jeong hadn’t fulfilled her promise, Kim bullied Jeong by extorting money, repeatedly hitting her using a baseball bat, fists, feet, to even scratching her chest with a hairpin, and burning her arm with a curling iron.
At the end of the day, Cheongju District Court issued an arrest warrant for the 15-year-old Kim. However, apparently, the case turned sideways.
According to the Korean media report, netizens spread photos, real names, phone numbers, and addresses of 6 students who were suspected as the perpetrators. As a result, these students and their families received malicious comments and abusive phone calls to their homes. They then reported a complaint of human rights violation.
Seeing the identical details such as the repetitive use of a curling iron, Korean media believed that this true story inspired Kim Eun Sook to write The Glory Korean drama bullying scene.
2. The Gasoline Violence Case in 2020
Following the sensational bullying scene of The Glory Korean drama, some viewers still do not believe that such a horrible incident can stem from a true story.
That is until Korean media brought up another horrible real-life true story bullying case similar to what happened inThe Glory Korean drama.
It Started with Deception and Severe Intentional Violence
On January 6, E-Daily brought up a severe violence case in 2020. Unlike the curling iron school violence, this case happened between adults in their 20s.
The incident happened on July 15, 2020. At the time, same-age acquaintances of the victim Park (22 years old) called him in the middle of the night. They said they wanted to celebrate his birthday and asked him to come to a dark vacant lot.
Upon his arrival, the acquaintances seated Park on a chair and tied him up. They then covered his face with a hoodie and sprayed gasoline all over his body. As if it was not enough, the group also placed firecrackers on both his knees and lit them up. Eventually, the firecracker exploded and fell on the gasoline, igniting Park and burning his body.
SBS footage of the incident. |E-Daily
“It was so hot and painful that I fell to the ground.
Those people saw a burning person tied up, but they just told me to roll over. The fire kept burning my body I thought I was going to die like that.
Then I asked them to call 119, but they just said that the place was too dark and gloomy, so the ambulance wouldn’t be able to come easily.”
Park to SBS.
Ended with Probation and Insufficient Monetary Settlement
Despite the severity of the case, it only ended with a monetary settlement. All the perpetrators got away with probation.
“The prosecutor said no matter what I did, it would end with probation. I had no choice.”
Park’s Mother.
Meanwhile, Park, who suffered from third-degree burns on 40% of his body, had to undergo treatment for over 100 million KRW (almost 80,000 USD). This treatment cost more than twice the amount of the monetary settlement. And when his family demanded the perpetrators’ responsibility to pay for the treatment, they said they didn’t have any money.
At the end of the day, Park and his family filed an additional civil lawsuit against the perpetrators.
The slight similarity in the severe violence and burn injuries between the case and The Glory Korean dram bullying scene brought the issue to the surface. As a result, Korean media and communities began spotlighting the issue and demanding justice for the victim.
Your Thoughts?
Finally, what do you think about these true story cases behind The Glory Korean drama bullying scene inspirations?
Violence of any kind is never a justifiable action to anyone. Song Hye Kyo and her perfect portrayal of a bullying victim in The Glory Korean drama brought the public realization of the severity of the issue. Hopefully, nobody will no longer have to suffer the same case in the future.
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