Naver Webtoons “Another World Pong Pong Man” and “Get Schooled” / Captured from Naver Webtoon By KTimes Naver Webtoon, Korea's largest webtoon platform, is facing backlash after controversial works featuring misogynistic and discriminatory content were approved during its screening process, leading to public criticism and calls for boycotts. The recent backlash began when "Another World Pong Pong Man," a webtoon that portrays a man discovering his wife's infidelity, passed the initial screening for Naver Webtoon's 2024 Global Webtoon Contest. The story presents women in a derogatory light, depicting them as manipulative and deceitful.
The title is derived from a misogynistic term, "pongpongnam," meaning an ordinary man who gets married to a woman who seeks financial stability rather than love and companionship. Pong Pong itself is a reference to a popular detergent brand in Korea, symbolizing the man's role in caring for a woman whose love has washed away. Since the webtoon's debut in September, it has faced ongoing boycotts, particularly among young women.
Naver Webtoon recently saw a drop of around 200,000 daily users from its usual 2.2 million, largely due to boycotts over the controversial webtoon. In a related incident, on Nov.
7, fans of actor Kim Nam-gil issued a statement urging him to avoid participating in the TV adaptation of "Get Schooled," a webtoon frequently criticized for promoting racism, misogyny and support for corporal punishment in schools. Respon.
