[Comprehensive] "Got hired by a major company through sex?" Kian84's 'Bokhakwang' misogyny controversy... Past disability slur too

Naver Webtoon 'Bokhakwang' author Kian84. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Naver Webtoon has issued an official statement amid the controversy over misogyny surrounding webtoon artist Kian84 (36, real name Kim Hee-min)'s work "Return to Campus."

This is not the first time Kian84's webtoon has caused social controversy. In May of last year, he apologized after criticism arose for mocking people with hearing disabilities. Amid the overlapping controversies of misogyny and past discrimination against disabled people, a petition was also posted on the Blue House website demanding the suspension of the serialization of "Return to Campus."

On the 12th, Naver Webtoon Management stated, "We have revised and deleted some parts of 'Return to Campus Episode 303 - Flounder Man Episode 1,' which Kian84 was criticized for."

They added, "While respecting the creative freedom of the artists, considering the growing influence of the Naver Webtoon platform, we will reflect public opinion not only this time but also in the future. We plan to use this opportunity to raise awareness and communicate closely with the artists and their works."

Petition to Suspend the Serialization of Webtoon 'Bokhakwang' by Kian84. Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board

As the controversy spreads, a petition titled "*** Demands Suspension of Serialization" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the same day. The petitioner pointed out problems in episodes 303 and 304 of Kian84's work "Return to Campus," specifically Flounder Man episodes 1 and 2.

The petitioner criticized, "I saw a ridiculous scene where the female protagonist has sexual relations with a team leader of a large corporation who is 20 years older than her and gets hired by the company." They added, "This artist has been controversial for a long time, and this episode is serious enough to surpass previous controversies. I hope he draws webtoons with a sense of identity and awareness as a webtoon artist."

The problematic episode includes a scene where the female protagonist, Bong Ji-eun, breaks a shellfish placed on her stomach during a company dinner.

Kian84 wrote about this scene, "Working hard doesn't guarantee success. It's not about academic background, specs, or effort; her very cells themselves want to work."

Netizens' comments criticizing the webtoon. Photo by Naver Comments Capture

Readers who saw this pointed out that it implies Bong Ji-eun got hired through sexual relations with a man. Netizens criticized, saying, "Is this a scene implying getting hired by a large corporation through sexual relations?", "It's uncomfortable to watch," and "What on earth are you trying to say?"

Currently, the scene in "Return to Campus Episode 303 - Flounder Man 1," where Bong Ji-eun breaks a shellfish on her stomach, has been replaced with a scene of breaking a crab.

This is not the first time Kian84's Naver webtoon "Return to Campus" has caused issues. In May of last year, the webtoon featured a female character with a hearing disability buying chicken skewers.

The problem was with her speech. The woman said awkwardly, "Dak-kko-ti hana eolma-eo?" and in a scene where she poured sauce on the chicken skewers, she internally said, "Mai ppudeoya-di," and "Dinta meokgo diphaenneunde."

In response, the disability rights organization "National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination" (Jeonjangyeon) demanded a public apology, stating that the webtoon mocked people with hearing disabilities.

Jeonjangyeon released a statement titled "Position of the National Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination," pointing out, "In the work, this character speaks awkwardly and mispronounces words, and even in her thoughts, she is portrayed as if she cannot pronounce properly. This alone fosters prejudice against people with hearing disabilities, and in this serialization, it outright mocks hearing-impaired people as if they have intellectual disabilities."

Jeonjangyeon further stated, "This clearly constitutes discrimination against disabled people under Article 4 of the 'Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Disabled Persons and Remedies for Rights Violations.' We deeply regret that Kian84 has continuously discriminated against a specific disability through advertisements, and that this discrimination has accumulated to produce such results."

They added, "Even at this moment, hearing-impaired individuals are deeply excluded and hurt by Kian84's 'advertisement-based discrimination.' We urge Kian84 to publicly apologize for continuously engaging in discriminatory acts against hearing-impaired people through his works."

Jeonjangyeon also requested Naver Webtoon, which serializes Kian84's works, to "prepare measures to prevent discriminatory acts against social minorities such as disabled people from recurring in other works."

As the controversy over mocking hearing-impaired people spread, Kian84 revised the problematic parts and issued a statement at the end of the episode, apologizing, "I apologize for the expressions in this manuscript that may have offended many people." He added, "I received many criticisms regarding the depiction of characters based on gender, disability, and specific occupations," and apologized, saying, "I exaggerated and depicted characters in the wrong direction to make the work more entertaining."

Meanwhile, the Blue House National Petition demanding the suspension of "Return to Campus" serialization had gained over 8,600 supporters as of 8:10 p.m. that day.