‘The Glory’ Was a Hit. Now Netflix Is Spending More on K-Dramas.

“Someone help me!” Dong-eun, a high school student, screams as a classmate twists her hair into her arms while two other tormentors hold her down.

A terrifying scene in a school gymnasium is one of the opening moments of “The Glory,” a 16-episode drama focused on bullying, social status and revenge that has become the latest in a succession of South Korean mega hits for Netflix. The breakout sensation, “The Squid Game,” became the most popular streamer series of all time.

“The Glory,” which was released in two parts in December and March, is now the fifth most popular non-UK television offering on Netflix. Executives say they have been surprised to see how the show has fared internationally, having reached the top 10 on non-UK TV charts in 91 countries.

It is one of the Korean hits, along with “Squid Game” and “Physics: 100,” that Ted Sarandos, the chief executive of Netflix, cited last month when he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. There, he announced a $2.5 billion investment in South Korean content over the next four years and noted that stories created in the country “are now at the core of the global cultural zeitgeist.”

Don Kang, Netflix’s vice president of content for Korea, said it has been exciting to see the show take off globally. “‘The Glory’ is a great example of a story that resonates with local audiences, but also depicts themes of human psychology and social issues, that audiences everywhere can relate to,” he said in a statement to The New York Times.

“The Glory” revolves around Moon Dong-eun, who makes it her life’s mission to get revenge on those who bullied her in high school. Her scars are a physical reminder of the pain her bullies endured and a motivation to seek revenge. As they age and develop elaborate repayment schemes, they change from victim to perpetrator.

For combining the themes of bullying and revenge – plot devices that have animated dramas for centuries – “The Glory” attracted a hungry audience in South Korea and beyond, even without the large sets and stunning visuals that led to the popularity of ” The Game Squid.”

Netflix officials said they were excited to find out that a show focused on story lines and characters could travel. They said they decided early on to release the episodes in two groups because of the weight of the content.

In a country where traditional broadcasters still censor cigarettes, Netflix is ​​one platform that is opening the way for content creators to delve into topics that have long been considered risqué, said Yu Kon-shik, an adjunct professor of communication at Konkuk University in Seoul and part of the committee. production planning at the Korean Broadcasting System.

Fans of “The Glory,” some of whom remember their own experiences with bullying, admit that they like it and cathartic to see Dong-eun upend the soul of her enemies, even when she did it they would not consider.

“‘The Glory’ is slow revenge,” said Amy Lew, of Temple City, California, whose children have been bullied at school. “That’s the dark side of everything, right? You want to see the underdog win.

There’s a reason so many people can relate. Almost one in three students reported being bullied in 2019, according to a UNESCO report, which also found that the prevalence of bullying has increased by almost one in five countries. And although reports of school violence in South Korea are relatively low — about 2 percent of students report being victims, according to the Ministry of Education — the real number could be higher because many students are afraid to speak up, said Kim Tae-yeon, a lawyer in Seoul who specializes in the subject. .

The resonance of “The Glory” and its theme put the show on the list of Netflix’s Top 10 Global for non-English television for 13 week. (It has spent just three weeks on the list of major non-English programs in the United States.) It is one of four Korean series among Netflix’s 10 most popular non-English TV offerings of all time, along with “The Squid Game,” “All of Us Are Dead” and “Extraordinary Events Woo.”

Now the company hopes to build on that success by releasing more than 30 unscripted Korean series, movies and shows this year. At the end of March, just three weeks after releasing the second episode of “The Glory,” Netflix offered another new Korean thriller: “Kill Boksoon.”

It has spent the last five weeks in Netflix’s top 10 for non-UK films.

The global success of the Korean production demonstrates Netflix’s international reach — which can show subtitles or dubs in more than 30 languages ​​— but also adds to Seoul’s strength as a creative center, said Kang, Netflix’s vice president.

“Korea is at the center of the story with the ability to showcase Korea’s unique culture and issues,” he said, “while conveying universal emotions that resonate with people around the world.”