Controversy Over 'Misogyny' Continues Even in All-Ages Webtoons, Why?

Scenes from the webtoon 'Change' that sparked controversy over misogyny. Photo by Twitter user 'Webmi'

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[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] In the rapidly growing webtoon industry, now worth around 1 trillion won, controversies over misogyny have been continuously emerging recently. Following Kian84's "Return to School King," Naver Webtoon’s "Helper 2: Killberos" faced criticism from users for crossing the line with its expressions. This time, the all-ages webtoon "Change" (author Jinwon) has also been embroiled in misogyny controversies for excessively emphasizing the body shape of underage female characters and including scenes suggestive of sexual relations.

According to industry sources on the 11th, the Twitter account "Webmi," which reports misogyny in webtoons, launched a full-scale attack on Naver Webtoon’s "Change," demanding that it be excluded from Naver’s recommended completed works, stating, "Change reproduces outdated gender stereotypes and sexualizes minors."

Webmi pointed out issues such as sexual objectification of women, gender stereotypes, and direction that evokes sexual relations. In response to the controversy, the webtoon’s author and Naver Webtoon posted an apology and revised the content. Jinwon said, "While dealing with gender transition themes, I should have portrayed the female characters in the work more carefully, but I apologize for causing discomfort due to immature expressions."

In fact, related complaints have been steadily increasing. The number of webtoon complaints related to "violence, hatred, and sensationalism" submitted to the Korea Communications Standards Commission rose from 133 cases last year to 153 cases as of August this year. Within less than a year, related complaints increased by 20 cases (15%).

Last August, members of the Basic Income Party's Gender Politics Special Committee and the Cartoon Industry Sexual Violence Countermeasures Committee held a press conference in front of the Naver Webtoon headquarters in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, demanding the suspension of the serialization of Kian84's webtoon "Bokhakwang." Photo by Yonhap News

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The ongoing controversies over webtoons stem from the fact that while the industry is growing, there are virtually no legal sanctions against misogyny or sensational scenes. The "age rating" system for webtoons?such as 12+, 15+, or youth-restricted?is also applied voluntarily.

Currently, webtoon regulation is handled by the "Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee." When complaints are filed with the Korea Communications Standards Commission, they forward the complaint details to the Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee. After review, the committee can request platforms serializing the webtoons to take actions such as service termination, content modification, youth access restrictions, or adult verification recommendations. However, if these requests are not followed, no special measures are taken. A representative from the commission explained, "Since it is self-regulation, there are no legal (penalties) involved."

However, some express ongoing concerns about webtoon "censorship." Webtoon author Joo Homin criticized, "Webtoon censorship has intensified," adding, "In the past, the state censored content, but now citizens and readers have opened an era of 'citizen dictatorship.'"

The Webtoon Association also previously issued a statement saying, "While we agree that raising the gender equality index in our society is a practical mechanism that cannot be dismissed as worthless and must be practiced, we strongly express concerns about using this as a pretext to restrict creators’ free ideas and imaginations and as grounds for oppression."

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As webtoons expand globally, there are calls for portals to strengthen internal mechanisms in line with social changes. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, the webtoon market size surpassed 1 trillion won last year. Naver Webtoon’s global monthly users reach 67 million, with monthly transaction amounts around 80 billion won. Naver Webtoon is on track to achieve 800 billion won in annual transactions this year. Kakao Page also has 35 million subscribers and is estimated to reach 500 billion won in annual transactions this year.

Experts advise that webtoon platforms should introduce an ombudsman system. Since the sanctions by the Webtoon Self-Regulation Committee lack effectiveness, portals need to establish mechanisms such as user committees internally. Professor Lee Byungmin of Konkuk University’s Department of Cultural Contents said, "Like viewer programs at broadcasting stations, there needs to be a space where panels composed of user representatives from various sectors can present opinions," adding, "While maximizing the protection of creative freedom, there should be a channel in the form of an ombudsman to provide sound opinions on socially unacceptable topics such as child sexualization."

Regarding this, a Naver Webtoon official stated, "We are conducting various discussions to reduce user discomfort in line with social changes such as gender sensitivity, and we will strengthen guidelines related to 'hate expressions' in our internal operating policies," adding, "For webtoons expanding globally, we perform translation work or modify (controversial) scenes according to each country’s culture and regulations."

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