Controversy Over Misogyny in Webtoon by Gian84... Related Complaints Also Increasing

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The webtoon industry, which had been thriving with a market size of 1 trillion won, has been engulfed in controversy over misogyny. Following Ki An84's 'Return to School King,' Naver Webtoon’s 'Helper 2: Killberos' faced criticism from users for excessive expressions. Online, a hashtag campaign demanding "Stop misogyny in webtoons" has even taken place. Portals are also grappling with solutions to the issue of misogyny sparked by Ki An84's webtoon.

Increase in Webtoon Complaints Including Ki An84’s Return to School King

According to data obtained on the 30th through the office of Shin Hyun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, the number of complaints related to 'violence, hate, and sensationalism' in webtoons reported to the Korea Communications Standards Commission increased from 133 cases last year to 153 cases as of August this year. Within less than a year, related complaints rose by 20 cases (15%). Representative Shin pointed out, "As the webtoon market has grown to a scale of 1 trillion won, problems with hate speech have emerged, but social responsibility in response is insufficient," adding, "The webtoon industry needs to make self-regulatory efforts to prevent recurrence."

Complaints related to Ki An84’s Naver Webtoon 'Return to School King' reached 16 cases. Ki An84 drew a scene in episode 304 of 'Return to School King' implying that a female intern lacking ability becomes a full-time employee by having a sexual relationship with a single team leader, which sparked public backlash. Complaints related to 'Return to School King' resulted in the Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee deciding to issue a 'request for caution to the platform, enhanced monitoring, and strengthened training for those in charge.'

Photo by 'Bokhakwang', Naver Webtoon

The continuous increase in complaints about webtoons is because, while the industry is growing, there are virtually no legal sanctions against misogynistic or sensational scenes. Currently, webtoon regulation is handled by the 'Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee.' When complaints are filed with the Korea Communications Standards Commission, they forward the complaint details to the Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee. After review, the committee can request the webtoon platform to take actions such as service termination, content modification, youth access restrictions, or adult verification recommendations. However, even if these requests are not followed, no special measures are taken. A commission official explained, "Since it is self-regulation in the truest sense, there are no legal (penalty provisions)."

Webtoon Platforms Need to Establish 'Internal Mechanisms'

As webtoons expand their business globally, there are calls for portals to strengthen internal mechanisms in line with social changes. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, the webtoon market size surpassed 1 trillion won last year. The webtoon market, which was 150 billion won in 2013, has grown nearly sevenfold in six years. Naver Webtoon's global monthly users reach 67 million, with monthly transaction volume around 80 billion won. Naver Webtoon is on track to achieve an annual transaction volume of 800 billion won this year. Kakao Page is also estimated to have 35 million subscribers and an annual transaction volume of 500 billion won this year.

Experts advise that webtoon platforms should also introduce an ombudsman system. Since the sanctions by the Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee lack effectiveness, portals need to establish mechanisms such as user committees internally. Professor Lee Byung-min of Konkuk University’s Department of Cultural Contents said, "Like viewer programs at broadcasting stations, there needs to be a space where panels composed of user representatives from various social strata can present opinions," adding, "While preserving creative freedom as much as possible, there should be a channel in the form of an ombudsman to provide sound opinions on socially unacceptable topics such as child sexualization."

Regarding this, a Naver Webtoon official stated, "We are conducting various discussions to reduce user discomfort in line with social changes such as gender sensitivity, and we will strengthen guidelines related to 'hate expressions' in our internal operating policies," adding, "For webtoons expanding globally, we carry out translation work or modify (controversial) scenes according to each country’s culture and regulations."