Netflix series 'The Glory' Part 2 ranks No. 2 on global Netflix chart

All News 10:20 March 13, 2023

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- Netflix revenge thriller series "The Glory" Part 2 landed at No. 2 on a global popularity chart for TV shows available on the streaming giant, just three days after its release, data showed.

The highly anticipated second part debuted at No. 3 on streaming analytics website FlixPatrol's global chart for top TV shows on Netflix on Saturday (U.S. time), one day after its release, and moved up one notch the next day.

It topped charts in 35 nations, including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, and ranked second in 18 other nations.

The show starring Song Hye-kyo shocked viewers with brutal school violence and systemic negligence in the first eight episodes released on Dec. 30 and returned with a tightly knitted revenge plot to unfold villains' tragic endings.

The poster of Netflix series "The Glory" is seen in this photo provided by Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Bullying has always been in schools for a long time, but the grim story of the victims' sufferings from violence enraged many viewers and raised renewed awareness of the social issue.

Last month, Chung Sun-sin, who was appointed to head the National Office of Investigation, offered to resign amid a bullying controversy involving his son at school.

The prosecutor-turned-lawyer drew criticism after it was belatedly revealed his son was ordered to transfer for verbally abusing his schoolmates and Chung had taken the case to court to reverse the order, only to lose.

While the revenge thriller sparked calls for stronger measures against school violence, its director Ahn Gil-ho found himself in hot water over a bullying history nearly three decades ago.

On Friday, an anonymous post in an online forum accused Ahn of physically assaulting younger students at an international school in the Philippines in 1996.

Ahn initially denied the accusations but on Sunday admitted to having bullied other students and issued a written apology.

"Ahn had a girlfriend while attending school in the Philippines in 1996. When he heard that his girlfriend was being teased because of him, he instantly got emotional and left indelible scars on others," the statement from law firm Jipyong read.

"(Ahn) apologizes to everyone who was hurt by his actions. If there are chances, he wants to meet them in person or deliver words of apology over the phone," it added.