The Glory

The Glory is a South Korean revenge drama released by Netflix in two parts, with Part 1 arriving on December 30, 2022, and Part 2 on March 10, 2023. Written by Kim Eun-sook and directed by Ahn Gil-ho, the series stars Song Hye-kyo as Moon Dong-eun, a woman whose adolescence was shattered by sustained school violence. The drama begins with Dong-eun’s methodical return to the lives of the former classmates who hurt her, but it uses her campaign for revenge to examine class privilege, institutional indifference, trauma, and the price of refusing to forget for the rest of her life. As a teenager, Dong-eun is targeted by Park Yeon-jin, played by Lim Ji-yeon, and Yeon-jin’s wealthy circle. The attacks include burns inflicted with a curling iron, a detail central to Dong-eun’s physical scars and to the show’s condemnation of adults who fail her. Her teacher and mother do not protect her, while Yeon-jin’s family uses money and influence to limit consequences. Years later, Dong-eun deliberately becomes the elementary-school homeroom teacher of Yeon-jin’s daughter, Ha Ye-sol. That position brings her close enough to unsettle Yeon-jin and begin exposing the group’s buried crimes, one carefully staged confrontation at a time in public. Her ally Joo Yeo-jeong, portrayed by Lee Do-hyun, is a plastic surgeon carrying his own grief: his father was killed by Kang Yeong-cheon, a patient now imprisoned. Dong-eun initially resists Yeo-jeong’s wish to join her plan, yet their relationship becomes one of the series’ emotional anchors. Yeom Hye-ran plays Kang Hyeon-nam, a domestic-violence survivor who assists Dong-eun in exchange for help protecting her daughter. Other major perpetrators include Jeon Jae-jun, Choi Hye-jeong, Son Myeong-o, and Lee Sa-ra. Their friendships fray as Dong-eun turns their secrets, rivalries, and fear against them with deliberate, ruthless precision over time and through silence alone. Song Hye-kyo’s performance marked a striking departure from the romantic-comedy and melodrama roles for which she was widely known, giving Dong-eun controlled speech and an unwavering stare rather than easy catharsis. Lim Ji-yeon’s Yeon-jin is equally crucial: a television weather presenter whose polished public image contrasts with her cruelty. At the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2023, The Glory won Best Drama, while Song won Best Actress and Lim won Best Supporting Actress for television. The show’s two-part structure lets its final episodes concentrate on repercussions, not merely revelation, as Dong-eun’s long-prepared design reaches its most dangerous stage at last.