"Too Expensive Housing Prices," "Coin is Hope"... Kian84 Satirizes the 'Bittersweet' Social Trends

Mention of Social Issues in Naver Webtoon 'Bokhakwang'
Real Estate Surge, Cryptocurrency Controversies, etc.
Housing Prices, Coin Crisis, and Other Recent Social Topics

A scene from Kian84's Naver Webtoon 'Return to Campus King' released on the 11th. / Photo by Naver Webtoon

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Webtoon artist Gian84 (real name Kim Heemin) satirized various social issues such as soaring housing prices and cryptocurrency controversies through his ongoing webtoon.

In episode 343 (The Future of Humanity) of the Naver webtoon "Return to School King," released on the 11th, the story depicts the protagonist Woo Gi-myeong becoming angry after discovering that his fianc?e Bong Ji-eun and his friend Kim Du-chi have been longtime lovers.

Amid this, Bong Ji-eun and Kim Du-chi mention phrases like "The concept of household management has no meaning for us," "There are no more conflicts," "Too many conflicts, too expensive housing prices, endless conflicts, hope only in coins," before merging into one being.

They then say, "We are already one. The way for humanity to survive is through hermaphroditism."

Expensive housing prices and cryptocurrency controversies have recently become major social issues. Recently, the Democratic Party of Korea commissioned an external agency to analyze the causes of their defeat in the April 7 by-elections. The voters who turned away from the Democratic Party cited the Cho Kuk scandal, prosecution reform controversies, and "failure of real estate policies" as reasons for withdrawing their support.

Financial Services Commission Chairman Eun Sung-soo criticized cryptocurrency investors, saying, "I do not see it as the right path," which sparked strong backlash from the 2030 generation. / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture

On the 22nd of last month, Eun Sung-soo, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, targeted cryptocurrency investors by stating, "I do not think it is the right path to recklessly jump into assets that fluctuate 20% daily," which faced strong backlash from the 2030 generation.

The day after Chairman Eun's remarks, on the 23rd of the same month, a petition titled "We urge Chairman Eun to voluntarily resign" was posted on the Blue House's public petition board. The petitioner, who identified as a worker in their 30s, criticized Chairman Eun by saying, "Why have the youth of Korea been pushed into such a position?" and "Think quietly about who created this wrong path."

The petitioner claimed that the older generation, including Chairman Eun, easily accumulated assets through the past real estate boom, stating, "They easily increased their money (through real estate), but now, calling it speculation, they pour out various regulations so that the 2030 generation cannot even have a chance (in cryptocurrency)."

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Gian84 has criticized and satirized social phenomena through his webtoons.

In another recently released webtoon, he mentioned issues such as the soaring real estate prices and gender conflicts with lines like "Trying to get married without even having a house," "You have to work like a slave your whole life to buy a house," and "In just a few years, those who should love each other have started fighting as if to kill."