"'Saram-i Meonjeo' Webtoon Mocking Moon Jae-in Suspended... 'Freedom of Expression' vs. 'Defamation'"

'Moonkemonster' Uploaded on Naver Webtoon Challenge Comics

A comic mocking former President Moon Jae-in was temporarily suspended just two days after being posted on Naver Webtoon. Photo by Naver 'Challenge Webtoon' capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A comic mocking former President Moon Jae-in posted on Naver Webtoon was temporarily suspended according to related regulations just two days after its upload.

According to Naver Webtoon on the 20th, a webtoon titled "Moon Monster" was uploaded on Naver's "Challenge Comics" on the 17th. Challenge Comics is a space where aspiring webtoon artists freely upload their works without Naver's prior review.

The webtoon features a monster called "Moonkorita," which borrows from the Japanese manga Pok?mon character "Chikorita." The story follows a job seeker who one day gets sucked into the monitor and enters the Pok?mon world with Moonkorita.

However, some webtoon users viewed the webtoon as having the intent to ridicule former President Moon. The character Moonkorita wears round glasses similar to those of former President Moon, and the slogan "People First," used by Moon during his presidential campaign, was incorporated into humorous scenes. Additionally, the webtoon satirized the speech style of former President Moon, which is often targeted by far-right communities such as Ilgan Best (Ilbe).

Photo by Naver Webtoon Challenge Comics Capture

Ultimately, the webtoon was blinded two days after being uploaded. There are two main reasons for a post on Challenge Comics to be blinded: user reports or requests for suspension of posts due to defamation or copyright infringement.

In the case of "Moon Monster," it was confirmed that the blind action was due to user reports.

If a blinded post is judged to be defamatory, Naver Webtoon notifies the poster and accepts objections. If the party disagrees and fails to reach an agreement with the reporter, the decision is left to the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The process can take up to 30 days.

Naver Webtoon explained, "Whether the post actually infringes on customers' rights cannot be arbitrarily judged by Naver and must be handled through legally qualified related institutions. Naver has established a post suspension request service to temporarily suspend the post until a final decision is made by the relevant institution to prevent further rights infringement."

Some netizens expressed opinions against Naver Webtoon's suspension, saying, "Isn't this sufficiently satirical?", "It's freedom of expression," and "What are the standards?"

On the other hand, other netizens countered, "Is this creative art?", "This is an appropriate measure," and "Continuing to post a low-quality webtoon with an obvious intent to defame is close to aiding defamation, so the blind action is justified."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.