New tvN Drama “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” Criticized For Normalizing Teacher’s Drunk Driving

The latest episode of tvN’s “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon,”which was broadcasted on May 19th, portrayed a scene of the lead character driving under the influence. In this episode, Jung Ryeo-won (portraying Seo Hye-jin) had a drink with a co-worker. During the gathering, Jung Ryeo-won opened a bottle of soju and poured a glass for herself. She was taken aback by her colleague’s comments and ended up drinking more than she intended. After the gathering, Jung immediately returned to the academy and prepared for a lecture with her junior colleague, Wi Ha-jo

In Korea, driving under the influence is viewed as a potentially fatal action. As a result, there is a constant demand for severe consequences, including being permanently banned from the entertainment industry. This is the main reason why the drama is facing harsh criticism. Furthermore, some argue that the script could have been altered to have Wi Ha-joon as the driver, as his character was only shown drinking coffee in that scene.

In addition, the highly anticipated drama “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”has faced a humiliating outcome. Despite an easy start with a 5.2% viewer rating for the first and second episodes, the third episode saw a decline to 3%. Although the fourth episode showed a slight recovery with a 4.8% rating, it remains unsteady. The rating was not satisfactory compared to the exceptional performances of the cast and director.

Link to the source: daum