Quiet Notice of Serialization Suspension at the Bottom of the Series
No Separate Official Announcement
The popular sports webtoon "Windbreaker," a flagship title on Naver Webtoon, has halted its serialization following a tracing controversy. While the author personally acknowledged the use of similar scenes and issued an apology, Naver is also facing criticism for its passive response regarding the suspension of the series.
Jo Yongseok, the author of the series, stated at the end of episode 177 of Part 4, titled "Remnants of Sincerity," which was released on July 11, "Some of the reference materials I used for my work contained scenes that were similar to or almost identical to images from other works," adding, "This is clearly my fault."
He continued, "After living for so many years under the constant pressure of weekly deadlines, I became impatient and failed to uphold the standards that a creator should maintain," and said, "I am deeply sorry to all the readers." The serialization ended with this episode, and he shared a brief summary of the remaining story on his blog.
Tracing refers to the act of copying another artist's work exactly or almost identically. This is usually done without the original creator's consent and is directly linked to copyright infringement controversies. When the level of reference goes beyond inspiration and essentially replicates the original scene, it is considered clear plagiarism.
Naver Webtoon stated, "We confirmed similarities in composition and direction with other works in the 'Windbreaker' manuscript," and added, "We have decided to suspend the serialization and service of the work." However, there is ongoing criticism that this response was overly passive, as only a brief notice was added at the bottom of the latest episode without a separate official announcement.
"Windbreaker" is a long-running hit that has been serialized for over ten years since 2013, depicting a coming-of-age sports narrative centered on cycling. It has been translated into English, Japanese, Chinese, and other languages, making it one of the global webtoons with an international fanbase.
Recently, Naver Webtoon has faced a series of controversies related to plagiarism or inappropriate content. In 2023, the series "True Education" included expressions that disparaged a particular race, leading to the suspension of its North American service and a prolonged hiatus. Around the same time, "I Want to Date a Girl" and "Can I Cancel My Confession?" were also suspended due to plagiarism controversies. As several works became embroiled in controversy in a short period, Naver Webtoon promised to develop detection technology and strengthen its monitoring.
Naver Webtoon was successfully listed on the US stock market one year ago. However, the growth prospects that had generated high expectations at the time have since lost momentum in the market, resulting in a sharp decline in share price. The current share price has dropped to less than one-third of its post-listing peak of $25.66, and the company's valuation has also fallen significantly from a maximum of 4.4 trillion won to around 1.7 trillion won.
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