South Korean actor Song Young-kyu's final role in Netflix's K-drama Teach You A Lesson is drawing worldwide attention following his death in 2025. The series, based on the Naver webtoon Get Schooled, features Song as Ryu Gwang-pil, a National Assembly member and father of a bullying student.
Plot and Performance
The drama centers on a violence-ridden school where staff authority has eroded. An inspector from the Educational Rights Protection Bureau transforms the institution using physical intervention and unorthodox methods. Song's character, Ryu Gwang-pil, uses his influence to protect his son, Ryu Jun-hyeong (Lee Seung-gyu), who perpetrates cruelty against peers and teachers.
Career and Legacy
Song, 55, debuted in cinema in 2002's Turn It Up and was known for roles in Netflix's Narco-Saints and Disney+'s Big Bet. He appeared in over 40 TV dramas and countless films, including the 2019 hit Extreme Job, one of South Korea's most commercially successful films. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Fan Tributes
Fans have honored Song on social media. One viewer wrote on X: 'I was so focused on the plot of Teach You a Lesson that I didn't even realize the actor playing the bully's father was Song Young-gyu. It's a strange feeling when you recognize an actor after the fact and remember they're no longer here. Supporting actors rarely get the same attention, but they make dramas feel real. Rest in peace.'
Teach You A Lesson is streaming now on Netflix.
