Extracurricular depicts the process of a group of high school students who start committing crimes to earn money and the unpredictable dangers they face as a result. Ji Soo, the main character played by Kim Dong Hee, is a model student who is well-behaved with good grades even though he does not have a strong presence at school, but is a criminal who runs teenagers prostitution business for money.
With the responses that it reminds people of the “Nth Room” case, which has recently stirred up the controversy over sexual exploitation, Extracurricular is making headlines, receiving favorable reviews for being “so shocking.”
To which, Kim Dong Hee said, “We finished filming last August, and I was surprised to see the incident happen.” He also added emphatically, “With this work, I hope people would pay more attention, and those who commit such crimes should be punished severely. Also, I believe that adults should pay more attention to teenagers first. I think that’s the top priority.”
About appearing in the work that included ethical problems, Kim Dong Hee said, “Of course, I was hesitant at first.” He then went on to say, “What I was most attracted to was the sensational script that I’ve never seen before. I thought that it was difficult for Korean dramas to deal with such subjects. I was drawn to that. Director said that someone had to tell the story, and I think I pretty much had the same idea.”
Extracurricular is being introduced as “school cafeteria hyperrealism.” Kim Dong Hee said, “I wasn’t familiar with newly-coined words. There were many words that I didn’t know after reading the script. But fellow actors who played my classmates helped me a lot. I think the scenes were I played with friends during break time came realistically.”
Kim Dong Hee expressed his wish to participate in the second season of Extracurricular, which ended with an open ending. “We filmed several versions of ending. So I wondered what the ending would come out to be. I haven’t heard anything about Season 2 yet,” he said. “Ji Soo might meet a new helper, Ji Soo and Gyu Ri might become roamers or get punished. Or maybe one might betray the other. I can think of many stories, but since I played Ji Soo, all I can think about is from his position. Anyways, if season 2 is getting produced, I would definitely participate.”
As of May 8, Extracurricular is ranked No. 1 on Netflix South Korea’s Top Television Series and also has settled in the top 10 of Netflix’s Top Television Series in Asian countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
