"Reveal Hate Speech Standards" Angry Naver Webtoon Users Hold Truck Protest in Front of Green Factory

Stock Price Lawsuit and Yeohyeom Controversy: Consecutive Setbacks
Accelerated User Exodus Amidst Misogyny Controversy

Naver Webtoon, which positioned itself as a pioneer of K-content and was listed on the U.S. stock market, is struggling with consecutive setbacks in less than six months. Not only is there a collective lawsuit movement among investors due to the halved stock price, but in Korea, one of its works has become embroiled in a controversy over misogyny, causing users to leave. On the 4th, Yonhap News reported that a protest by users condemning Naver Webtoon for neglecting misogynistic content was held in front of Naver's headquarters. About 100 users participating in the Naver Webtoon boycott sent trucks and condolence wreaths to the front of the Naver Green Factory building in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, that morning.

The users displayed slogans such as "You censor the index finger, but what about the sexual objectification of women?" and "Reestablish censorship standards and disclose everything."

On the 4th, Yonhap News reported that a protest by users condemning Naver Webtoon, which has been embroiled in controversy over its passive stance on misogynistic content, took place in front of Naver headquarters.
[Photo by Yonhap News and readers]

The controversy over Naver Webtoon's neglect of misogynistic content was triggered at the end of last September when an amateur webtoon titled "Isekai Pongpongnam" passed the first round of the "2024 Greatest Public Contest." This webtoon depicts a 39-year-old man who loses his assets after being betrayed and divorced by his wife and then crosses over to another world. The title controversially used the hateful expression "Pongpongnam," which implies that a man married to a woman with much dating experience is like washing dirty dishes.

What further escalated the controversy was Naver Webtoon's response. Naver Webtoon posted a message on its official X account that seemed to mock the boycott movement, which intensified user backlash. Facing severe criticism, Naver Webtoon issued an apology on the 21st of last month, explaining it as a "mistake in operating the advertising campaign" and stating that they "have reorganized the marketing material review and posting process to prevent recurrence." On that day, users pointed out Naver Webtoon's inconsistent censorship standards regarding hateful expressions and demanded their disclosure. It was noted that while Naver Webtoon had actively taken corrective measures against misogynistic expressions, their response to this issue was lukewarm.

The controversy over misogynistic content on Naver Webtoon was sparked at the end of September when an amateur webtoon titled "Isekai PongPongnam" passed the first round of the "2024 Greatest Contest." This webtoon depicts a 39-year-old man who loses his assets after being betrayed by his wife and going through a divorce, then crossing over to another world.
[Photo by Naver Webtoon]

Previously, Naver Webtoon faced controversy over "finger censorship" when a female character pointed at a male character with an index finger in the webtoon "Omniscient Reader," and when adapting the web novel "Return of the Mount Hua Sect" into a webtoon, the index finger scene from the original web novel was modified. This controversy also led to a decrease in Naver Webtoon users. According to mobile app research firm Mobile Index, Naver Webtoon's daily active users (DAU, based on Android) dropped from the 2.2 million range in early last month to 2.0?2.1 million by the end of the month.

The protest organizer told Yonhap News, "As someone who used to enjoy webtoons in daily life, I am deeply disappointed and shocked by Naver Webtoon. Some works have every sentence or even hand gestures censored, while others show women's bodies without any issue. We held this protest hoping that Naver Webtoon would reestablish its censorship standards." Naver Webtoon confirmed the protest situation in front of its headquarters that day and stated that it is currently organizing its position.