On June 17, Park Ji Yeon met with Newsen at a café in Gangnam, Seoul, where she shared various stories about the Netflix series Teach You a Lesson. Released on Netflix on June 5, the drama follows the fearless activities of the Educational Rights Protection Bureau as they stand on the side of victims and work to restore order in schools.
Just three days after its release, Teach You a Lesson reached No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows chart. It has also maintained the No. 1 position on Korea’s “Today’s Top 10” series rankings. In the drama, Park Ji Yeon played the role of Woo Jin’s mother.
Woo Jin’s mother was an overprotective parent who constantly filed malicious complaints against teachers. Park Ji Yeon first appeared as a highly sensitive parent during a classroom observation session. She later portrayed increasingly obsessive behavior, including monitoring a teacher’s private life and spreading false information in online parenting communities. The character relentlessly sent messages day and night, picked fights over trivial issues, and even filed a false child abuse complaint against a homeroom teacher. Her actions sparked outrage among viewers worldwide.
Park Ji Yeon revealed, “I was actually first offered the role of Teacher Jung, who appears in Episode 3. This is my fourth project with director Hong Jong-chan. During the script development stage, he told me he had a role in mind for me. Internally, I hoped we could work together again, and he contacted me during casting. However, he said he wanted to suggest a different role and gave me the script, asking me to think about it. I became very ambitious. I told him I definitely wanted to challenge myself with it. I wasn’t sure I could do it well, but I wanted to try. Thanks to his trust, I ended up meeting the character of Woo Jin’s mother.”
She continued, “Throughout my acting career, I mostly played characters who suffered tragedies my husband died, my child died, or I died. I’ve done bright characters too, but this was my first time playing a villain who required such a huge amount of energy. I often wondered whether a role like this would ever come my way. Opportunities like this are rare. I really wanted to seize it, and the script was excellent.”
Park Ji Yeon previously worked with Hong Jong-chan on Life, Juvenile Justice, and Mr. Plankton, making Teach You a Lesson their fourth collaboration.
“In Life, I played a thoracic surgery nurse, and in Juvenile Justice, I was an investigator. Those were kind and calm characters. This time, the director told me he thought Woo Jin’s mother would be a more enjoyable challenge for both of us. He felt I would have more fun with the role,” she explained.
She added, “Director Hong is incredibly good at casting. He spends a tremendous amount of time thinking about it. I’ve seen him hold four or five auditions for rookie actors. I know how much effort he puts into casting. People often describe me as having a gentle image, but perhaps he saw a different, more diverse side of me.”
Park Ji Yeon also shared a recent conversation with the director.
“A few days ago, Director Hong contacted me. We’ve built a strong bond through our projects together. He told me, ‘I rewatched Episode 5. My wife and the people around me keep talking about Woo Jin’s mother.’ He was so happy. As a joke, he said, ‘Let’s win an award.’ He always talked about awards on set too. He even joked that I deserved a Best Actress award. Of course, I thought he was teasing me. But he genuinely seemed delighted,” she said with a smile.
She continued, “This is a good thing for him as well. I first met him through the audition for Life, and we worked together on Juvenile Justice, Mr. Plankton, and now Teach You a Lesson. He’s like a benefactor to me. He gave me my first regular role through Juvenile Justice. And this time, he gave me my first villain role. He even sent me a coffee truck. He’s the director who has given me so many first experiences. The drama is doing well, and so many good things are happening, which makes me incredibly happy.”
Park Ji Yeon also became emotional when talking about her friends and colleagues.
“I’m still receiving so many messages. I’m really grateful. One of my close friends is also an actress and a mother. She’s taking a break right now, and we’ve all been busy, so it’s hard to meet. But she told me she couldn’t hold it in any longer and had to call me. Everyone was happy for me as if it were their own success. They know how hard I’ve worked all these years, so they were genuinely thrilled for me.”
At that point, Park Ji Yeon broke into tears as she reflected on the support she had received.
Sources: Daum
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