Who Is Kim Mu Yeol? 5 Things to Know About the "Teach You a Lesson" Star

It seems Teach You a Lesson is the K-drama to watch as of late. Currently sitting at number 1 on Netflix, the series based on the webtoon Get Schooled, follows four personnel from a fictional government organization called the Educational Rights Protection Bureau. Led by Kim Mu Yeol as Na Hwa-jin, they’re tasked to discipline juvenile delinquents and expose administrative corruption by any means necessary, even if they have to resolve to violence.

The series has put Mu Yeol on the map on a global scale, so if you’re one of his new fans looking to know more about him, you’re in luck because we’ve done the work for you. From his humble beginnings to his notable achievements, here are five things you need to know about Kim Mu Yeol.

Before his acting fame, Mu Yeol became the primary breadwinner of his family after his father fell into a vegetative state due to a cerebral hemorrhage. While in a coma, he was also diagnosed with cancer, which sent Mu Yeol’s family into crippling debt. To make ends meet and pay for his dad’s medical bills, he worked various jobs for years. “I worked so many different jobs that I can’t even remember them all: construction work, factory lines, event staffing, security,” he shared in an interview on Yoo Quiz on the Block.

Due to his family’s financial situation, Mu Yeol was exempted from South Korea’s mandatory military service. However, the decision was later overturned in 2012 after the Board of Audit and Inspection found that the reason for his exemption was “inappropriate.” Mu Yeol readily entered the military on the same year to fulfill his duty and clear up any misunderstandings.

Mu Yeol was set on becoming an actor from an early age, which drove him to study the craft in both high school and college. He took up Performing Arts at the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University, where many of Korea’s most famous personalities also graduated. The includes the likes of Song Joong Ki, Moon Geun Young, Cha Eun Woo, Jo Bo Ah, and Krystal Jung.

Mu Yeol took no short cuts when it came to building his acting career. He made his stage debut in 2002 in a play called Jjangtta, and spent four years doing ensemble work. He eventually broke through in 2005 when he landed his first lead roles in the Korean productions of Assassin and Grease. Mu Yeol sooon transitioned to onscreen roles two year later, where he excelled in action and thriller dramas. Prior to Teach You a Lesson, K-drama fans might’ve seen him already on Sweet Home, Juvenile Justice, and Queen Woo.

Sorry, ladies, but Mu Yeol has been happily married since 2015 to his fellow actress Yoon Seung Ah. Their relationship was made public after Mu Yeol accidentally tweeted a romantic message that was meant for Seung Ah’s eyes only, which caused quite the frenzy online.

His tweet read, ““I keep thinking about you on this late hour and deep night while drinking. I want to hear your voice. I want to see your face. I’ve been wanting to call you, but I eventually didn’t as I thought that you might be sleeping, I’m sending a message instead, again.” After admitting their relationship to the public, the pair got married and bore a son in 2023.