Kian84, Another Case of Misogyny... Is the Webtoon Platform Free from Responsibility? [Kim Ga-yeon's Perspective Twist]

Webtoon 'Bokhakwang' Depicts Regular Employment Conversion After Sexual Relations with Superior... Controversy Over Misogyny
Controversy Continues While Platform Remains 'Passive'... Calls for Accountability Arise
Naver Webtoon States "Respect Creator's Artistic Freedom but Feel Responsible"

Webtoon artist Kian84 (real name Kim Heemin, 36), embroiled in a misogyny controversy / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Webtoon artist Kian84 (36, real name Kim Hee-min) has once again been embroiled in controversy over misogyny after including a scene interpreted as meaning "an intern became a full-time employee after having a sexual relationship with a male boss." The uproar has further escalated as Kian84 explained that the setting was added to depict a character struggling to find a job and relying on cuteness to succeed.

In particular, as issues such as misogyny and discrimination against people with disabilities have been consistently raised, questions about the responsibility of the serialization platform Naver Webtoon have also emerged. Despite these ongoing criticisms, the platform has been accused of neglecting to intervene in related content, effectively allowing such controversies to persist.

On the 11th, a scene in the webtoon "Return to Campus King" depicting an intern with insufficient qualifications becoming a full-time employee after having a sexual relationship with a male boss sparked controversy.

Furthermore, responsibility for the platform providing the webtoon has come under scrutiny. Despite continuous controversies surrounding "Return to Campus King" and other webtoons involving misogyny, glorification of school violence, and discrimination against people with disabilities, the platform, which should protect both creators and readers, has been criticized for taking no action.

Controversies surrounding Kian84 include ▲ disparagement of a hearing-impaired woman ("Return to Campus King" episode 248) ▲ disparagement of Southeast Asian foreign workers ("Return to Campus King" episode 249) ▲ depiction of real-life figures Jihwasa and Jeon Heon-mu as women and men working in prostitution ("Rejuvenation" episode 37). Additionally, there have been multiple misogyny controversies over scenes such as ▲ a female character excessively using a humidifier causing water to drip down to the floor ▲ dialogue targeting a female character with phrases like "'Room bread girl' all the way" and "You're old and tasteless" ▲ a scene showing a pregnancy test sticking out of a female character's bag ▲ and depictions of dating violence.

Earlier, in April, the webtoon "Lookism" was criticized for disparaging women and Chinese people and depicting content reminiscent of digital sexual violence. "Teen Mom" faced criticism for violently portraying teenage pregnancy, while "Lookism," "Love Revolution," "Freedraw," and "Windbreaker" were criticized for glorifying delinquency and school violence.

In 2018, the Korea Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education announced that monitoring of webtoons revealed that many popular webtoons sexualized women or promoted appearance-based discrimination and trivialized violence against women. There were 45 cases of sexist content compared to only 9 cases of gender-equal content, about five times more.

According to the Korea Communications Standards Commission's 2017 report on complaints about webtoon sexual content and violence over the past three years, complaints surged from 594 in 2015 to 2,893 in 2016. However, only 39 cases were acted upon. This is attributed to the commission receiving complaints but considering creative freedom, with the cartoonists' association enforcing self-regulation.

Criticism such as "Does the platform not conduct even minimal review before upload?" arises for these reasons. However, the platform has expressed regret over the controversies but stated it is difficult to intervene in the creators' artistic worlds.

As the domestic webtoon industry expands into the global market, known as the "new Hallyu," there is a growing need to provide guidelines against hate and discrimination and actively review content. Voices are rising that hate speech cannot be protected under "freedom of expression" and that measures should be devised to regulate hateful expressions without harming the integrity of the works.

Scenes in the webtoon 'Bokhakwang' pointed out for misogynistic expressions. Some scenes have been revised currently. Photo by Online Community Capture

In episode 304 of the webtoon "Return to Campus King," released on the 11th, a female character, Bong Ji-eun, working as an intern, is shown at a team dinner where the team leader asks, "Is there anyone who can prepare pen shells?" She places the shellfish on a tray and breaks it with a cone-shaped object. The scene includes dialogue: "In the face of other competitors armed with academic background, specs, and social skills, Bong Ji-eun presents a completely new survival strategy. Hard work alone is not enough. It's not about academic background, specs, or effort."

Later, the male team leader in his 40s tells the protagonist Woo Gi-myeong, "After the last dinner, I got drunk and kissed Bong Ji-eun, and we started dating." When Woo Gi-myeong asks in surprise, "You slept with her?" the team leader laughs with a "ㅋ." This scene drew criticism as an inappropriate depiction interpreted as "illicit hiring through sexual favors."

Following the controversy, Kian84 issued an apology on the 13th, saying, "I am truly sorry for causing concern again due to inappropriate depictions in the work." He explained, "I added the setting that Bong Ji-eun, who struggles to find a job, relies on cuteness to succeed, and I tried to satirize such a society comically by depicting her as a cute otter."

He continued, "In particular, I wanted to express the scene of an otter breaking shells for food by overlapping Bong Ji-eun floating in water with a restaurant chair pushed aside, but I think I did not deeply consider this scene." He also said, "I reviewed the criticisms about the character relying on cuteness or dating a boss to get a job and made additional revisions to the dialogue and drawings."

However, criticism of the apology grew stronger. The claim that "the social satire was about a woman struggling to get a job relying on cuteness" was seen as completely missing the point of the criticism and merely revealing Kian84's usual views on women.

Especially as forced sexual assault by abuse of power has recently become a serious social issue, such depictions are difficult to interpret as social satire, requiring even more careful attention.

As of the morning of the 14th, "Return to Campus King" ranked 4th among Wednesday webtoons, and Kian84 enjoys great popularity through appearances on various broadcast programs and advertisements, making it difficult for him to avoid responsibility.

Meanwhile, Naver Webtoon stated regarding the controversy, "We respect the creative freedom of our artists, but as the influence of the Naver Webtoon platform grows, we will reflect diverse opinions not only now but also in the future." They added, "We will use this opportunity to raise awareness and communicate closely with the artists and their works."