Kim Mu Yeol is receiving renewed attention as Netflix’s “Teach You a Lesson” continues to perform strongly worldwide.
Released on June 5, “Teach You a Lesson” follows the Teachers’ Rights Protection Bureau, a fictional group that stands on the side of victims and works to solve serious problems inside schools.
The series ranked No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non English Shows chart just three days after its release. It is also holding the No. 1 spot on “Today’s Top 10 in South Korea”.
In the drama, Kim Mu Yeol plays Na Hwa Jin, an inspector of the Teachers’ Rights Protection Bureau. As the series gains more popularity, past stories about Kim Mu Yeol’s military service have resurfaced online.
In 2010, Kim Mu Yeol received a military exemption from the Military Manpower Administration due to difficulty supporting his family.
Later, questions were raised after it was reported that he had earned about 300 million KRW through entertainment activities. This led to suspicion from some people over whether he had avoided military service.
Kim Mu Yeol later chose to voluntarily enlist in October 2012. At the time, he said, “It is not because I am admitting to wrongdoing that I did not commit, but because I want to get away from misunderstandings I do not want”.
He also denied doing anything wrong in the process of receiving the exemption, saying, “I did nothing shameful. I never thought of using poverty or my late father’s illness as an excuse to be exempted from military service. I simply followed the procedures guided by the Military Manpower Administration”.
According to his agency at the time, Kim Mu Yeol was not trying to avoid service and was actually supporting his family during a difficult period. His father had collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage in 2002, and his younger brother was also serving in the military.
His agency representative also explained that Kim Mu Yeol’s family had around 300 million KRW in debt, along with medical expenses and living costs. The representative said Kim Mu Yeol had worked manual labor jobs, at a mobile phone factory, and as a security guard while struggling to support his family.
The agency representative further said that if both Kim Mu Yeol and his younger brother enlisted at the same time, the family would have had no one to support them financially. After review, Kim Mu Yeol received an exemption decision, but he later enlisted voluntarily to clear up misunderstandings.
In 2014, Kim Mu Yeol’s agency revealed that he underwent knee surgery while serving and was eligible for medical discharge. However, he reportedly submitted a written statement saying he wanted to complete his military service until the end.
Kim Mu Yeol finished 21 months of military service and was discharged on July 8, 2014.
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