Platforms: "Suspended to Protect Users"
As news emerged that the webtoon "The Elementary Student I Love," which centers on a romantic relationship between a female teacher and an elementary school student, is being adapted into a drama, backlash has continued from the education sector and others. In response, major content platforms have successively suspended the distribution of the work.
According to industry sources on July 3, major platforms such as Naver Series, Kakao Page, Kyobo Book Centre, and Ridi have suspended the service of "The Elementary Student I Love."
A representative from Naver Webtoon stated, "There were numerous user opinions raising concerns about the content and subject matter," and added, "We suspended sales to protect users." Kakao Page also explained, "We became aware of the issue and, after discussions with the publisher, decided to halt sales." The work is no longer available on Kyobo Book Centre and Ridi either.
When searching for the work on these platforms, users are shown messages such as "No search results found" or "Works and episodes not currently for sale cannot be accessed."
The controversial webtoon is a romance story in which a female elementary school teacher, after breaking up with her partner, discovers that the anonymous person she meets in an online game is actually her elementary school student. Serialized from 2015 to 2020, the webtoon received the Excellence Award at the 1st World Cartoon Contest, earning recognition for its artistic quality and originality. However, it has also faced ongoing criticism for its inappropriate narrative that sexualizes children.
Recently, as news of the drama adaptation surfaced, teachers' organizations voiced strong opposition, intensifying the controversy.
The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) stated in a declaration released on July 1, "Depicting emotions between a teacher and a minor student as romantic is a clear glorification of grooming crimes," and called for the cancellation of the drama production.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) also criticized on July 2, "Turning webtoon scenes into live-action has a far greater impact," adding, "It distorts the educational environment, undermines trust in teachers, and, above all, destroys even the most basic social safeguards for student protection."
Meanwhile, the drama production company Meta New Line has not yet released an official statement.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
