Naver Webtoon Faces Backlash Over 'Isekai Pongpongnam'
"We Caused Discomfort and Concern... Apologies"
The webtoon "Isekai Pongpongnam," which sparked controversy for misogynistic expressions, was ultimately rejected in the Naver Webtoon contest. Naver Webtoon issued an official apology regarding the controversy.
On the 22nd, Naver Webtoon announced the final winners of the "2024 Greatest Contest on Earth" Season 2 through a notice on its homepage. The grand prize was awarded to "Gwisin Mangchi," the excellence award went to "Goeihyeonsang Hana," and the readers' popularity award was given to "Gwahakgo Sabyeon," among others. "Isekai Pongpongnam" was not included in the list of 10 other excellence award winners.
Earlier, when it was revealed belatedly that "Isekai Pongpongnam" had passed the first round of the Greatest Contest on Earth on September 25, a boycott movement spread mainly among female readers.
The 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. In particular, it prominently features the internet neologism "Pongpongnam," referring to a man who marries a woman with extensive dating experience based on economic conditions, and contains misogynistic expressions and content, which sparked controversy.
Especially, when Naver Webtoon posted a tweet on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that seemed to mock the boycott movement, user backlash intensified. On the 16th of last month, Naver Webtoon promoted the webtoon "Sokkeupchingu Complex" on its X account using meme phrases such as "Boycott Sokkeupchingu Complex. Buy it like wildfire, buy it as hot as fire," which was criticized as mocking the recent boycott movement.
Earlier this month, about 100 users protested by sending trucks and condolence wreaths to the Naver Green Factory building in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, claiming that Naver Webtoon was not fulfilling its role as a platform. The users displayed slogans such as "You censor the index finger but what about sexual objectification of women?" and "Reestablish censorship standards and disclose everything."
After the controversy, Naver Webtoon issued its first official apology related to the contest. In a separate notice, Naver Webtoon stated, "We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort and concern to readers and webtoon creators due to recent issues related to the contest." It added, "We will establish an external advisory committee composed of platform, comic industry, and creative field experts," and "We will cooperate so that the advisory committee can review the current operational policies of the entire content service, including the contest." Finally, it said, "We will listen more carefully to the valuable opinions of users and creators, and do our best to fulfill our role as a responsible platform while respecting creative freedom."
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