He is a director who calmly yet sharply delves into the hidden aspects of systems that our society has overlooked. While dealing with provocative subjects, he avoids sensationalizing, instead shedding light on both characters and structures, leaving room for thought. In 2026, he directly addresses the issue of crumbled teaching authority with Get Schooled.
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Drama Director |
| Strengths | Scope encompassing social, human, and melo genres |
| Representative Works | Dear My Friends, Life, Juvenile Justice, Get Schooled |
He has directed various works with different tones, from warm human and melo dramas like 'Dear My Friends' (2016) and 'Live Up To Your Name' (2017) to 'Life' (2018) and 'Her Private Life' (2019). His consistent attitude is not to lose affection for his characters, regardless of genre.
With Netflix's 'Juvenile Justice' (2022), he calmly yet sharply depicted the loopholes in the juvenile justice system and the people struggling within it, solidifying his position as a director of social commentary dramas. It was a work where his perspective shone, focusing on examining the structure of problems rather than senselessly consuming provocative material.
He skillfully balances elements that could easily lean one way or another, such as the pleasure of retribution and social messages, with his calm direction. His directorial philosophy is to not just leave anger, but to lead to reflection.
In Get Schooled, he collaborates with writer Lee Nam-gyu to balance the satisfying pleasure of retribution with a social message. This marks a reunion with Kim Mu-yeol, who plays the main character Na Hwa-jin, following 'Juvenile Justice'.
The lead roles in Get Schooled are played by Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, and Jin Ki-joo, while the screenplay is by Lee Nam-gyu. More works can be found under Drama.
Recommended Search Keywords for Foreigners: Hong Jong-chan director, Juvenile Justice director, Get Schooled director, 홍종찬 감독, Korean drama director Hong Jong-chan