Is Seo Kang-joon's 'Undercover High School' the Korean version of Shah Rukh Khan's 'Main Hoon Na'? Details explored

The South Korean action-comedy spy series Undercover High School has been on air since February 21, 2025. It features an ace field agent working for the National Intelligence Agency (NIS), Jung Hae-seong (Seo Kang-joon).

Following a considerable blow to his professional reputation while on his mission assignment, Hae-seong is demoted and given the job of a cover for tracing King Gojong's missing gold bars. He goes disguised as a student in Byeongmoon High School.

There, he meets Oh Soo-ah, a contract Korean history teacher who is very principled and cares a lot for her students. Interestingly, Soo-ah begins to see shades of her childhood first love in Hae-seong, adding layers of personal intrigue to the mission.

Now, Undercover High School has drawn comparisons with the action-comedy teen romance of the Bollywood film Main Hoon Na, featuring Shah Rukh Khan. Both involved undercover agents opening up a cover as students, melding personal missions with national security ones.

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Undercover High School and Main Hoon Na: Parallels in narratives between the two

Main Hoon Na, released in 2004, is an action-comedy-thriller film made in Hindi and directed by Farah Khan. In the film, Major Ram Prasad Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) is on a double mission to protect Sanjana (Amrita Rao), the daughter of General Bakshi.

Ram is tasked to protect Sanjana from an ex-military officer, Raghavan (Suniel Shetty), who turned into a militant later to seek revenge from General Bakshi. Meanwhile, while executing his covert operation, Ram also gets to meet his step-brother, Lucky (Zayed Khan), and tries to mend ways with him. To this end, Ram applies for admission at St. Paul's College in Darjeeling, where he experiences college life, personal conflict, and external threats.

Both stories feature protagonists who are seasoned agents infiltrating educational institutions under the guise of students. This setting allows for a blend of action-packed sequences and lighthearted, youthful interactions.

The lead characters in both narratives juggle professional responsibilities with personal quests. In Undercover High School, Hae-seong seeks the missing royal gold while dealing with personal entanglements. In Main Hoon Na, Ram aims to thwart a terrorist plot and mend familial bonds.

Both series incorporate romantic elements that add depth to the characters and influence their decision-making processes.

Main Hoon Na addresses Indo-Pakistani relations, with the plot centered around "Project Milaap," a prisoner exchange program aimed at fostering peace. The film approaches this geopolitical issue from a neutral perspective, weaving it into the personal stories of the characters.

In contrast, Undercover High School focuses on a historical mystery—the disappearance of King Gojong's gold bars—rooted in Korean history, adding a layer of cultural specificity to the narrative.

Undercover High School introduces a romantic subplot whereby the undercover agent (Seo Kang-joon) reminds their teacher of her first love, thereby originating a different kind of personal connection that influences the narrative.

Both stories are action comedies, yet they work on opposite paradigms. Main Hoon Na combines quintessential Bollywood song-and-dance numbers, melodrama, and larger-than-life characters. Undercover High School, while also integrating action with humor, follows the stylistic and narrative conventions of Korean dramas.

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Undercover High School releases new episodes every Friday and Saturday at 9.50 PM KST on TVING and Viu.

Meanwhile, Main Hoon Na is available on Netflix for global streaming, along with subtitles in several languages.