18+ School Drama Imitation Spreads 'New Type of Bullying'... Warning in Home Correspondence

A new type of bullying phenomenon mimicking the setting of a drama is spreading in schools. In response, many schools have distributed letters to parents to prevent this.

Since the 21st, numerous elementary, middle, and high schools centered around Jeonju City, Jeonbuk Province, have distributed letters to parents to prevent the spread of the ‘Pyramid Game.’ The 21st was the day the final episode of the TVING original series ‘Pyramid Game’ was released.

TVING Original Series 'Pyramid Game'
[Image source=Provided by TVING]

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Produced as a 10-episode series and first released last month on the 29th with an 18+ age restriction, ‘Pyramid Game’ is based on a popular webtoon of the same name. The drama is set in a girls’ high school and deals with issues of hierarchy and violence within the school.

Through the letter to parents, the school explained, “(In the drama) students rank each other from grades A to F through mutual voting, and students in the lower grades become official targets of bullying such as classroom cleaning, meal duties, and ‘emotion receivers.’”

They expressed concern, saying, “After the drama’s release, group bullying disguised as a game is spreading in schools.”

They added, “What started as a game, the Pyramid Game, is likely to produce serious school violence that causes real harm to specific targets. We ask parents for their active interest and guidance so that the play culture freely occurring among students does not become a seed of crime.”

A notice distributed to families at an elementary school in Gunsan, Jeonbuk on the 21st [Image source=Captured from Jeonbuk Education Portal]

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Meanwhile, the British BBC broadcast compared ‘Pyramid Game’ to the globally popular Netflix drama ‘Squid Game,’ stating that “based on games, it makes it easier to digest real issues such as violence.”

A scene from the TVING original series 'Pyramid Game'
[Image source=Provided by TVING]

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The British magazine NME also commented, “It sharply reflects the consequences of violence occurring in spaces considered safe and what must be done to eradicate it.”

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