Next So-Hee ~ Neglect, Exploitation, and Societal Indifference

“Next So-Hee” is a 2023 Korean movie, categorized as Workplace or Office, Youth, Crime, Social drama, Mystery, and Thriller, and streaming on Tubi TV and YouTube.

• Memorable Quote: “’He had written several letters in protest.’… ‘What? And you ignored them?’”

SUMMARY: A high school student enters a vocational training program that turns into a nightmare of exploitation, ultimately leading to tragic consequences. A detective investigates her case and uncovers systemic abuse and a buried history of similar tragedies.

♦ Why Does the Company Hire Externs?

In “Next So-Hee”, a high schooler named So-Hee is placed in a mandatory vocational training program at a call center. The program is advertised as a promising career opportunity. However, the workplace is a toxic environment built on exploitation, verbal abuse, and impossible performance quotas. So-Hee, initially optimistic, is gradually worn down by the relentless pressure.

One night, a caller was very abusive toward and she snapped back at him. The manager quickly intervened, took the call himself, and ended it. The manager took her into his office. So-Hee expected to be terminated. To the contrary, the manager said he understood her reaction and that the situation was unfortunate. She left work, looked at her manager sitting alone at his desk in the corner. How could she know that was the last time she’d see him alive? They found him dead in his car.

At work, people came in to clear the manager’s desk, and So-Hee overheard someone saying that the manager who was found dead had written several letters in protest. Protesting what? Whatever it was, he had been ignored. So-Hee and the other members of the team at the call center were pressured into signing a document that “the matter” would not be discussed with insiders or outsiders.

So-Hee’s new supervisor was nothing like the previous manager. At first, she encouraged So-Hee to perform better and trained her to ensure she got results. So-Hee started calculating how much she would make. When she saw how much she was paid, she asked her supervisor about her payment “incentives”. The supervisor brushed her off and told her they don’t pay right away because “externs” usually quit. So-Hee asked, “So if I quit, I won’t get paid the incentives at all? Is that why the company hires externs?”

Why Work For Nothing?

At a company dinner, her co-workers told her that she was working for nothing. The company wasn’t going to reward. Instead, her “stellar” job performance caused them to be pressured even more. After So-Hee dared to ask the new supervisor about her pay, the supervisor berated her daily and even called her a money-grubber. The company’s culture normalized emotional manipulation and overwork.

So-Hee’s mental health deteriorates as she becomes isolated, exhausted, and terrified of failing the expectations placed upon her. Despite reaching out for help, her teachers and program coordinators dismiss her concerns, insisting she must “toughen up” to succeed. The system that should protect her instead funnels her deeper into harm. Eventually, overwhelmed and hopeless, So-Hee commits suicide.

The Manager Died, and Now a Student Trainee Has Died?

Detective Yoo-Jin, a seasoned investigator, is determined to uncover what led to the tragedy of So-Hee’s death. She interviews So-Hee’s classmates, teachers, and co-workers, uncovering a pattern of negligence and institutional abuse. The school prioritized job placement statistics over student welfare, while the call center exploited minors for cheap labor under the guise of “training.”

As Yoo-Jin digs deeper, she discovers that So-Hee was not the first victim — another student had died under similar circumstances years earlier. The case had been buried to protect the reputations of the school and corporate partners. This revelation fuels Yoo-Jin’s determination to expose the truth. But of course, she faces resistance from higher authorities who want the case closed quietly. Nevertheless, Yoo-Jin compiles a damning report about a system that prioritized profit and statistics over human lives. But will the report spur changes, or will So-Hee’s tragic case fade without justice? If it fades, who will be the “Next So-Hee”?

Main Characters:

• So-Hee (played by Kim Si-Eun, “Special Labor Inspector Mr. Jo”, “Squid Game 2”, “All of Us Are Dead 2”)
• Detective Yoo-Jin (played by Bae Doo-Na, “Family Matters 1 and 2”, “The Host”, “Broker”, “The Host”, “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance”, “The Silent Sea”, “Stranger 1 and 2”, “Kingdom and Kingdom: Ashin of the North”)

Where to Watch: Tubi TV and YouTube

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.3 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.4 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as MDL.

Next So-Hee is one of those K-dramas that makes you angry as soon as you read the plot because it’s based on a true incident. You don’t even have to watch the movie, and you’ve already put on your justice shield and started swinging at the bad guys. The film is inspired by a real-life case involving a high school student who died after being overworked and abused during a mandatory vocational training program at a call center. The film fictionalizes the events but closely mirrors the real tragedy. An excerpt from the review published via Jacobin.com is an apt summary:

• “Behind South Korea’s economic growth, there’s a system that grinds workers to the bone at every stage of the life cycle, from high school students to retirees. The film Next So-Hee dramatizes the impact of that system to devastating effect.”

LINKS OF INTEREST:

‘Next So-Hee’ Review: Sobering Korean Drama Tackles Labor Exploitation | Variety

Next So-Hee Review – Korean High Schooler Traumatised by Call Centre Internship. | The Guardian

Review: ‘Next So-Hee’ Captures the Emotional and Systemic Exploitation of South Korea’s Youth. | Cinema Escapist

Next So-Hee (South Korea, 2022) – Review. | AsianMovieWeb

Next So-Hee Is Korean Cinema at Its Bleak and Brilliant Best. | Jacobin.com

TRAILER/TEASER:

YouTube Movies & TV. “Next So-Hee.” YouTube, 14 Sep. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7nLUIUK82Y. 

https://youtu.be/Z7nLUIUK82Y?si=nk6gHfCij06lpRVQ

♦