A poster for "Undercover High School" / Courtesy of MBC

Action-comedy drama "Undercover High School" may have been light in tone, but it was the perfect stage to highlight Seo Kang-joon's strongest weapon: his striking appearance.

The final episode of MBC's "Undercover High School" aired on Saturday. The story revolves around a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who goes undercover as a high school student to track down the lost gold bars of Emperor Gojong.

In the finale, agent Jung Hae-seong (played by Seo Kang-joon) completes his final mission to recover gold bars hidden by the school's founding director, Seo Byung-moon. After narrowly escaping a car crash, Jung is rescued by Oh Soo-ah (Jin Ki-joo) and reunited with his NIS team. Despite being falsely accused of killing Director Kim (Lee Seo-hwan) and pursued by the police, Jung locates critical evidence against the villainous principal Seo Myung-joo (Kim Shin-rok). With help from his team leader, Gong (Lim Cheol-hyung), he submits the evidence to the authorities.

Seo Myung-joo tries to burn down the school in desperation, even aiming a gun at herself. However, she is stopped by her daughter, Lee Ye-na (Kim Min-ju), and Oh. In the end, the principal receives a life sentence. Jung later recovered the gold bars stamped with Emperor Gojong's royal seal, completing his mission and honoring his missing father's memory.

Seo Kang-joon has long been admired for his striking appearance, and while his acting skills are solid, it's his looks that consistently command attention. After completing his mandatory military service in 2023, his return to the screen with "Undercover High School" felt tailor-made. While Oh played the role of a supportive ally, the story revolved almost entirely around Seo Kang-joon. Whether performing action scenes as an elite agent or playing the comedic role of a student, he dominated the screen.

His character — an elite NIS agent coping with his father's disappearance —was crafted to appeal to female audiences. Data from entertainment analytics firms showed a spike in online mentions of Seo Kang-joon's looks, which directly contributed to the drama's visibility and popularity. From episodes 1 through 12, the series frequently emphasized his appearance.

However, the overemphasis on the superficial led to some criticism. The conflict between the sinister Seo Myung-joo and the heroic Jung Hae-seong lacked depth, and apart from a brief moment of doubt upon finding his father's notebook, Jung's character development was minimal.

The school photo shoot subplot that highlighted Jung's looks could have been replaced with scenes exploring internal conflict, offering viewers a richer emotional experience. Some critics say Seo Kang-joon should take bolder roles moving forward to evolve as an actor.

When it initially debuted, "Undercover High School" and SBS's "Buried Hearts" both drove interest in weekend dramas. However, after peaking at 8.3 percent in Episode 4, "Undercover High School" saw a steady ratings decline, ending with 5.8 percent in its finale. In the end, "Buried Hearts" won the ratings battle by a wide margin.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.