EDITOR’S LETTER
Hello. The second NEWS HERLIVERY in November is TOPIC EDITION, a collection of articles on women's issues. In this issue, we have compiled articles related to the on-campus protests taking place at women's universities, and the threats women are fighting against at women's universities.
First, for articles related to Dongduk Women's University, which is continuing its struggle against the conversion to a coeducational school, please check out the issues of the protest, threats inside and outside the school, and the student body's position on future struggles. At Seoul Women's University, a protest against sexual crimes is taking place on campus. The professor in question has sued the students who wrote the posters. At Kyung-In Women's University, a professor ordered a dress code for class, including forcing makeup and prohibiting glasses, leading to a collective backlash from students. When Gwangju Women's University revised its school regulations to allow male students to take certain classes, students took this as a preliminary procedure for the conversion to a coeducational school and protested.
A bill allowing police undercover investigations, which had been limited to crimes against children and adolescents, to include digital sex crimes against adults has passed the National Assembly plenary session. The only dissenting vote was by Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party. The law firm that represented the victim of the deepfake sexual crime also took on the defense of the perpetrator in the same case, sparking controversy. The fact was revealed when the law firm mistakenly sent the perpetrator's disposition to the victim. It was revealed that Chairman Kim Yong-man of the famous kimbap franchise 'Kimgane' attempted to sexually assault a female employee and tried to persuade her with a promotion. Chairman Kim's wife, Park, stated that she decided to file a complaint because her husband did not reflect on his actions and continued to cause secondary harm.
The court accepted the application for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary action filed by figure skater Lee Hae-in, who was suspended for three years for sexually assaulting a junior athlete. Lee Hae-in, who temporarily regained her athlete qualification, plans to compete in the 2024 National Figure Skating President's Cup Ranking Competition for Men and Women. Workplace bullying by HANNI, a member of girl group NewJeans, was not acknowledged. The Seoul Western District Office ruled that HANNI could not be considered a worker under the Labor Standards Act and administratively closed the complaint filed by a New Jeans fan regarding HANNI's workplace harassment.
The webtoon 'Isekai Pong Pong Nam', which caused a controversy over misogyny, was disqualified in the second round of the Naver Webtoon contest. Naver Webtoon announced that it would establish an external advisory committee to supplement its operating policies and processes. That's all for this issue of NEWS HERLIVERY. We will greet you again in the next issue with in-depth articles with depth and perspective. Thank you.
- Best Wishes, Editor Oh Jin-dal-rae
1,973 Votes at Dongduk Women's University Student Council... All but 2 Oppose Coed Schooling
At Dongduk Women's University, where students are continuing their sit-in protest against the discussion on the conversion to coeducational schools, the students decided to hold a general meeting on the 20th to convey their opposition to the conversion to coeducational schools to the school administration.
The Dongduk Women's University Student Council convened a general meeting, the highest decision-making body according to the student council regulations, at the Dongduk Women's University Wolgok Campus playground in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul that afternoon.
The general meeting opened with 1,941 students, exceeding the quorum of 650, in attendance. Approximately 30% of the current students (6,564) showed up for the meeting. The general meeting can be held only when more than one-tenth of the students, excluding students on leave of absence, are present.
Before the vote, Student Council President Choi Hyun-ah said, "We will participate in the meeting with the dean tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the comprehensive plan decided at this meeting to convey what the students want and achieve what was decided today."
At this meeting, the students voted on the agenda of 'Dongduk Women's University's conversion to engineering.' Out of the total votes of 1,973, there were 0 votes in favor of the conversion to engineering, 1,971 votes against, and 2 abstentions, meaning that almost all of them voted against.
The 'Dongduk Women's University President Direct Election' agenda was passed with 1,932 votes in favor, 0 votes against, and 1 abstention out of the total votes of 1,933.
When the general meeting ended, the students cheered and applauded.
Student Council President Choi Hyun-ah said, "The agenda items decided at today's student general meeting must absolutely not be ignored at the university headquarters," and "We will become a student council that strives to realize the demands of our fellow students and to make 'Democratic Dongduk' bloom despite the cold gaze of this society that calls the students' protests to protect Dongduk Women's University simply a riot."
(Lee Yul-lip, Yonhap News, 24.11.20)
Dongduk Women's University Student Council: "We will continue to occupy the main building until the engineering conversion is withdrawn"
Dongduk Women's University agreed to temporarily suspend discussions on converting to a coeducational school after a meeting with the student body, and the student council announced on the 22nd that it would continue to occupy the main building until the conversion is withdrawn.
An agreement was reached ten days after the students occupied the building and refused to attend classes since the 11th, but this is a point where the embers of conflict could be rekindled in the future.
The Dongduk Women's University student council released a statement on the previous day regarding the meeting with the deans, saying, "We will not lift the occupation of the main building until the plan presented by the university headquarters can practically collect the opinions of the students, until we can fully understand, and until the withdrawal of the conversion to a coeducational school is made."
The student council said, "The university headquarters promised the Central Steering Committee (student representative body) to introduce a different democratic opinion-gathering procedure structure than before," and demanded that the school, "The student opinion-gathering procedure should be conducted before the faculty meeting, and there should be a process to collect and reflect the opinions of the students, unlike a formality."
(Lee Yul-lip, Yonhap News, 24.11.22)
Dongduk Women's University "Damage amount up to 5.4 billion won... External organizations join in"
As the Dongduk Women's University situation, where students are protesting by occupying the school and refusing classes over the discussion on the conversion to a coeducational school, is not reaching an agreement, the university announced that the damage to the university due to the students' occupation and property damage amounts to up to 5.4 billion won.
On the 15th, Dongduk Women's University released data on the 'Current Status of Damage Due to Campus Incidents' and announced that the damage due to the students' occupation of buildings and property damage by protesters opposing the conversion to a coeducational school is estimated to be at least 2.44434 billion won and up to 5.44434 billion won.
Of this, the university estimated that at least 2 billion won and up to 5 billion won will be needed for the maintenance and cleaning of buildings, design hubs, and performing arts centers on campus. The Dongduk Women's University campus in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, is covered in posters put up by students, graffiti painted in red lacquer, pickets opposing the conversion to a coeducational school, flour, ketchup, etc.
The university also estimated that the damages from the '2024 Dongduk Career and Employment Non-Curricular Joint Fair' scheduled to be held on the 12th amounted to 334.38 million won. The university explained that the compensation for damages to 10 companies that were planning to participate in the fair amounted to 258.51 million won, and that materials worth 75.86 million won, including 128 booths set up for the fair, were damaged. (Omitted)
Earlier that day, the student council held a press conference and claimed, "On the 14th, we received a document from the university headquarters demanding 330 million won in damages for damage to the job fair equipment," and "The university headquarters is threatening students by citing their vulnerable financial issues."
(Kim So-ra, Seoul Shinmun, 24.11.15)
"You'll have a baby later" Dongduk Women's University police officer's 'gender sensitivity' controversy
At Dongduk Women's University, where students are continuing a sit-in protest against the conversion to a coeducational school, a police officer who was dispatched to the scene made such a gender sensitivity, sparking controversy.
According to the police on the 12th, at around 7:00 PM the previous day, Jongam Police Station in Seoul received five consecutive reports of noise and property damage, and went to Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul to assess the situation. A police officer from the security unit at Jongam Station entered the main building where the student sit-in was taking place and witnessed students attempting to break down the president's office door using baseball bats and fire extinguishers, and stopped them.
At the time, a meeting with the school headquarters and the student council was scheduled for 5:00 PM, but it was reported that the headquarters staff did not show up for over an hour.
When the angry students tried to break down the president's office door with a fire extinguisher, one police officer tried to stop the students, saying, "Isn't that what a fire extinguisher is for?" and "This is not an illegal act." Then, he said, "You will become teachers later, and you will have children and raise them later (so how can you do something illegal?").
The students immediately protested by shouting, "Don't have children," and "You will get pregnant."
An official from Jongam Police Station explained, "I said this to tell them not to commit illegal acts because they are trying to break the door with a fire extinguisher," and "If people who will have children and raise them act like that in the future, how are you going to educate them later?"
However, Dongduk Women's University students responded critically, saying, "How can you say something like 'You will be fathers later' while dispersing a male-led protest?" and "It is a sexually harassing remark based on the perception that women are just objects who give birth and raise children even if they receive higher education."
(Han Ji-sook, Herald Economic Daily, 24.11.12)
Shin Nam-sung Yeon-dae, “We will reveal personal information”, reports 4-week rally at Dongduk Women’s University
It has been confirmed that the anti-feminist group 'New Men's Solidarity', which has been criminally punished for harassing feminist activists for years, has reported to the police that it will hold a rally in front of Dongduk Women's University for four weeks. They have declared that the Dongduk Women's University students who have been taking collective action against the school's headquarters' push to convert to a coeducational school are "rioters" and will report their personal information to the police. This marks the beginning of a full-blown feminist backlash that has continued day after day, with some men and YouTubers invading the school and causing a ruckus.
On the 16th, the Jongam Police Station in Seoul announced that the New Men's Solidarity has reported that it will hold a rally in front of the main campus of Dongduk Women's University in Seongbuk-gu for four weeks from that day until the 14th of next month.
On that day, Bae In-gyu, the representative of the New Men's Solidarity, called the Dongduk Women's University students "rioters" and announced on his YouTube channel, "We have obtained the rioters' receipts for purchasing lockers and their bank accounts. After finishing the rally in front of Dongduk Women's University today, we will report the rioters' personal information to the police." (Omitted)
Eight members of the New Men's Solidarity, including CEO Bae, were recently criminally punished for group harassment of feminist activist Kim Joo-hee and Team Hae-il from 2021 to last year, on charges of insult, defamation, and obscenity through telecommunications media.
Even after being criminally punished, they have not stopped group harassment of feminists. On the 8th, CEO Bae and about 10 members of the New Men's Solidarity held a rally at Exit 11 of Gangnam Station in Seoul, and criticized citizens who gathered at Exit 10 of the same station to call for a solution to deepfake sex crimes as "a feminist group that hates men and stains the Republic of Korea with a stain of hate."
The All-Out Response Committee, which leads the students' collective action, expressed concern that if the New Men's Solidarity, which has already harassed feminist activists for years and received criminal punishment, holds a long-term rally in front of the school, it will inevitably pose a great threat to the safety of students.
(Park Sang-hyuk, Pressian, 24.11.16)
Seoul Women's University also has lacquer painting and posters... "Out with professors who commit sexual crimes" Condemning sexual crimes on campus
Following the recent protests by students at Dongduk, Sungshin, and Gwangju Women’s Universities against school administration, students at Seoul Women’s University have also come out in strong protest, criticizing the school’s lukewarm response to sexual crimes on campus.
On the 17th, the campus of Seoul Women’s University in Nowon-gu, Seoul, was covered with posters and lacquer paint put up by students. The road and floor in front of the 50th Anniversary Memorial Hall of Seoul Women’s University were lacquered with phrases such as “There is no place for a professor with a sexual crime at a women’s university” and “We are stronger than me.” In front of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building, hundreds of department jumpers left behind as a protest were placed. Inside the building, about 10 wreaths with the words “Seoul Women’s University, protect students” were placed.
Letters written by students to test takers who visited the campus the day before for the “2025 Academic Year Early Admissions Essay Test” were also noticeable. The letter read, “The printed materials attached to the pretty campus where we walk together are the voices of the Shuni (Seoul Women’s University students) who want to make a better school for their juniors,” and “We look forward to sharing stories of wisdom with you in the women’s field to make a better Seoul Women’s University.” The test takers who visited the campus left “certification shots” on social media, responding with comments such as “I support you” and “I want to enroll and help.” The students explained that they protested because the school did not protect students from sexual violence incidents on campus.
Last September, the Seoul Women’s University radical feminist club “Rhinoceros Horn” criticized the school through a poster, saying, “Professor A committed sexual harassment, and the victim reported the incident, but only received a three-month salary cut.” Then, Professor A’s side sued the students who put up the posters for defamation, etc., which caused the students’ anger to grow. Park (20), a second-year student at Seoul Women's University who we met at the school yard that day, said, "We responded peacefully by putting up posters, but as there was no response from the school, we resorted to lacquering as a last resort." She added, "I feel sorry for the victimized student, and I am ashamed of the school for taking sexual crimes lightly."
(Lee Ye-seul, Kyunghyang Shinmun, 24.11.17)
Professor of Sexual Violence at Seoul Women's University Eventually Resigns...Student complaints will continue
It has been confirmed that a Seoul Women's University professor suspected of sexual assault resigned on the 20th. However, it has been reported that legal action against students who wrote posters criticizing him is continuing.
According to Seoul Women's University on the 21st, Professor A, the person suspected of sexual assault at the university, submitted his resignation to the school headquarters the day before.
A Seoul Women's University official said, "Professor A resigned as of the 20th," and "The classes he taught this semester will be taught by other professors in the department."
It has been reported that Seoul Women's University imposed a three-month salary cut and disciplinary action against Professor A in September of last year after receiving reports that he sexually harassed and molested students.
The students said that they only found out about this in September of this year and put up posters criticizing Professor A and the school, and Professor A sued the writers, claiming that the content of the posters was false.
In response, students staged a 'lacquer protest' on campus, and on the 19th, they held a rally in front of Nowon Police Station to urge the accused to be cleared of charges.
Professor A is known to be continuing legal action against the students who wrote the posters.
A police official said, "There have been no cancellations of related charges as of now."
(Kim Nam-ha, Dailian, 24.11.21)
The absurd dress code of a female college professor: "No makeup presentation is 0 points, glasses are also 0 points"
"If you present without makeup, you get 0 points. Students wearing glasses also get 0 points. It means to wear eye makeup and colored makeup."
"Some students ask if they can't wear makeup because they have cosmetic allergies. Find a product that doesn't cause allergies. If you wear contact lenses, they're stiff, so you have to wear glasses? Find hard lenses or dream lenses. Or, find a way to present naturally without glasses."
Makeup is required, glasses are prohibited, bright and tight-fitting clothes are mandatory, partial hair dye is prohibited... Kyung-In Women's University students collectively rose up against the dress code that is hard to believe is from 2024. The professor who ordered the dress code stated that the purpose of the regulation was to "increase students' job competitiveness," and that he had filed a lawsuit against students who spread malicious rumors about him.
According to a comprehensive report by <Pressian> on the 21st, students at Kyung-In Women's University, the only women's university in Incheon, have recently started to make public the fact that Professor A of the Department of Animal Health has been repeatedly engaging in problematic behaviors in class and on social media through the school's anonymous community Everytime and X (formerly Twitter) and other social networking services (SNS).
According to testimonies and records from students in the department, he, who was in charge of required major classes, instructed certain students on dress codes for presentations from 2020 to this year and notified them that they would lose points if they did not follow them. The reason is that they need to know the dress code required for employment or after employment. Among the evaluation items, the attitude score, which includes the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and dress codes, took up the highest percentage at 40 points out of 100.
The dress code instructed by Professor A included: △Makeup required, △No glasses, △No black suits (wear bright clothes, white and black mixed colors allowed), △No oversized clothes (overfit), △No shoes, △Neat hair, △No partial hair dye, etc., and in fact, it was to the extent that it involved the students from head to toe. During the presentation evaluation process, he even gave the students advice beyond the regulations, such as, “Wear stockings under your pants so that your legs are not visible,” or “Wear accessories on your ears, neck, arms, etc.” (Omitted)
Students who took the class unanimously stated that Professor A’s dress code was excessive, and that most workplaces where students work did not require a dress code as strict as Professor A’s instructions. Students in the Department of Companion Animal Health usually obtain an “Animal Health Specialist” license from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and get jobs at animal hospitals, where they assist veterinarians in their medical practices. Since animal health specialists work in scrubs (work clothes), there is no reason to pay special attention to their appearance and attire.
(Park Sang-hyuk, Pressian, 24.11.22)
Gwangju Women's University, voices opposing 'conversion to engineering' by allowing male students to enroll
Recently, as the controversy over the conversion to a coeducational program that started at Dongduk Women’s University spreads nationwide, some students at Gwangju Women’s University, the only four-year women’s university outside the metropolitan area, are continuing to protest against allowing male students to take certain classes. (Omitted)
In May, Gwangju Women’s University pushed for a revision of its school regulations to allow male students to take the Global Convergence Department (capacity: 100 students), a course exclusively for foreigners, and the Future Convergence Department (capacity: 100 students), which is for adult learners.
However, some students who found out about this late are accepting the revision as a preliminary procedure for the conversion to a coeducational program, and are continuing their protest by stacking department jumpers and major books on the steps of the main building and lining up wreaths on the lawn on campus.
A student who participated in the rally said, “The school received consent forms with a hint of caution and did not explain the details of the revision,” and demanded that the school “disclose the results of the opinion collection.”
The organizers of the protest argued, “The school said that they would not encounter male students because they use different buildings, but there are dormitories for current students on the way to the adult learning space. Also, they have to pass by the library, and even if they take classes on weekends or at night, they will inevitably encounter dormitory students and students who study late into the night.” They added, “The revision of the school regulations will blur the identity of women’s universities and increase the possibility of exposure to sexual crimes.” The students who spoke freely pointed out, “If gender-neutral recruitment is implemented, there will be cases where we will inevitably encounter adult learners and international students, and the school has not prepared any countermeasures for this.”
(Jeong Sang-ah, Jeonnam Ilbo, 24.11.19)
Adult Deepfake Sexual Crimes Can Also Be ‘Undercovered Investigation’… Lee Jun-seok Is the Only One Who ‘Opposite’
Police undercover investigations, which were limited to crimes against children and adolescents, will now be allowed for digital sex crimes against adults.
On the afternoon of the 14th, the ruling and opposition parties held a plenary session of the National Assembly and passed the ‘Special Amendment to the Act on Punishment of Sexual Crimes (Alternative)’ containing this content with 272 votes in favor and 1 vote against out of 273 members present. Rep. Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party was the only one to vote against.
The amendment allows police to conduct an undercover investigation of digital sex crimes, where they hide their identities and approach the crime scene to collect evidence and data, and an undercover investigation using false identities when necessary.
Previously, undercover investigations without identity were only allowed for digital sex crimes against children and adolescents. This has led to criticism that it is difficult to secure evidence and arrest criminals in the case of adult digital sex crimes. However, the passage of this amendment will allow for stronger investigative response capabilities.
Additionally, the amendment stipulates that if an illegal act is committed during an undercover investigation due to unavoidable circumstances, criminal punishment, disciplinary action, or damages liability will not be imposed unless there is intent or gross negligence.
(Kim Se-won, Women News, 24.11.14)
I trusted and handed over the data… The lawyer for the perpetrator of the ‘deepfake sex crime’ is taking on the victim’s lawsuit
A, a high school sophomore, was a victim of a deepfake sexual crime in February.
The perpetrator was B, an elementary school classmate.
He synthesized A's face with nude photos and ran a so-called 'acquaintance rape room' and spread it on Telegram and other platforms.
[A's mother: It was so horrible. (The perpetrator) showed no remorse and went back to his daily life, dropped out of school, and is preparing for college. (The victim) is living in pain...]
A decision was made five months after filing a complaint with the police.
However, anxiety grew because it was unknown how far the synthetic material had spread.
[A's mother: (The investigative agency) told us to wait, so we just waited vaguely. Even if the verdict (against the perpetrator) came out, we only received the answer that it could not be made public because he was a minor.]
A's parents hired a lawyer in September and began preparing for a civil lawsuit against B and his parents.
However, I found out that two of the lawyers who participated in B's trial overlapped with the lawyer who was assigned to handle A's civil lawsuit.
Both were the head lawyers of the law firm.
The law firm mistakenly sent the perpetrator's disposition to the victim, which made it known.
(Ham Min-jeong, JTBC News, 24.11.13)
Kim Yong-man, Chairman of 'Kimgane', Sexually Assaults Female Employee, "I'll Promote You"
It has been reported that Kim Yong-man, the chairman of the famous kimbap franchise 'Kimgane', who is accused of sexually assaulting a female employee, attempted to persuade the victim, who was running away, by offering her a 'promotion' as a condition.
It has been reported that Kim Yong-man, the chairman of the famous kimbap franchise 'Kimgane', who is accused of sexually assaulting a female employee, attempted to persuade the victim, who was running away, by offering her a 'promotion' as a condition.
On the 14th, JTBC released the contents of the complaint filed by Chairman Kim Yong-man's wife, Park Eun-hee.
According to the complaint, in September of last year, at a dinner party attended by five employees including Chairman Kim, Chairman Kim scolded the employees, blaming them for poor sales.
On that day, Chairman Kim asked the other employees to go home, but only asked the female employee, Ms. A, to move to a second dinner party. At the time, Ms. A had already drunk more than her limit.
Chairman Kim took the employee, who was unconscious from drinking, to a motel, forcibly molested her, and attempted to sexually assault her.
He also tried to persuade the victimized employee who was trying to run away by saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll promote you to manager,” and suggested a meeting by saying, “Do you have a boyfriend? I’ll contact you often.” (Omitted)
Meanwhile, Ms. Park, the wife who reported Chairman Kim, said, “It was a very difficult decision to report my husband. At first, I was afraid of the world knowing, but Chairman Kim showed no remorse and continued to cause secondary harm, so I got angry and decided to report him.”
(Park Sun-young, YTN, 24.11.15)
Court approves injunction to suspend disciplinary action against figure skater Lee Hae-in for "false accusation of sexual harassment"
The court suspended the effect of the suspension of the Korea Sports Council's figure skating disciplinary action against Lee Hae-in (19).
According to Lee Hae-in's side, the Seoul Eastern District Court accepted the injunction to suspend the disciplinary action filed by Lee Hae-in on the 12th.
Earlier, Lee Hae-in applied to the court for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary action after the Korea Skating Union's three-year suspension was confirmed at the retrial of the Korea Sports Council's Sports Fair Committee held at the Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul on August 29.
Lee Hae-in, who temporarily regained his athlete qualifications following the court's acceptance of the injunction, plans to compete in the 2024 National Men's and Women's Figure Skating President's Cup Ranking Competition to be held at the Uijeongbu Indoor Ice Rink in Gyeonggi Province from the 28th.
(Seol Ha-eun, Yonhap News, 24.11.12)
“Respect as a human being”… ‘NewJeans HANNI’ awakens ‘Labor Standards Act blind spot’
“If we respect each other as human beings, wouldn’t workplace bullying and ostracism disappear?”
The workplace bullying of girl group NewJeans member HANNI was not recognized. This is because HANNI is not a worker under the Labor Standards Act, which requires workplace bullying to be recognized. It remains to be seen whether the ruling and opposition parties will use this as an opportunity to expand the scope of protection under the Labor Standards Act.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 20th, the Seoul Western District Office has administratively closed the workplace bullying complaint filed by a NewJeans fan against HANNI.
This complaint was triggered by HANNI’s claim. On the 15th of last month, HANNI and ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young, who is NewJeans’ agency, appeared as a reference and witness at the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee’s state audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s affiliated organizations, respectively, continuing the workplace bullying battle.
HANNI claimed that she was bullied in the workplace, saying, “When I was preparing for a university festival, a female manager made eye contact with me and told the others to ‘pretend not to see me and ignore me.’ This wasn’t the first or second time this happened.” This claim was first made public by NewJeans on YouTube last month. HANNI also pointed out that CEO Kim was inadequate in his response as the head of the agency, saying, “There is no evidence, so bear with it.” On the other hand, CEO Kim explained, “The manager (who made the statement) is from another company,” and “We checked the CCTV to protect the artist (NewJeans), but the retention period has expired. The parties’ claims are conflicting.”
The issue at issue in the complaint was whether HANNI was a worker under the Labor Standards Act. This is because workplace bullying is only applicable to workers under the Labor Standards Act. The Western District Court determined that HANNI could not be considered a worker working for wages based on the contractual relationship between HANNI and the company. The main reason was that the contract was signed on an equal footing with the company. It was also difficult to consider HANNI a worker based on various criteria for determining workers, such as employment rules, working hours, and work locations.
The labor community has continuously demanded the elimination of blind spots in the protection of special employment workers who are not recognized as workers under the Labor Standards Act and the full application of the Labor Standards Act. However, the business community and the ruling party raised concerns that the workplace bullying regulations were vague and were being abused in the field. At the state audit on the 15th of last month, the ruling and opposition party members of the Environment and Labor Committee once again asked HANNI and CEO Kim about the facts and unanimously agreed that the system needed to be improved.
(Yang Jong-gon, Seoul Economic Daily, 24.11.20)
Naver Webtoon bows its head after ‘Pong Pong Nam’ is eliminated… “Operation of external advisory committee, policy improvement”
The webtoon 'Isekai Pongpongnam' was disqualified in the second round of the Naver Webtoon contest. 'Isekai Pongpongnam' was criticized by Naver Webtoon users and critics for containing hateful expressions that reinforce sexism. Naver Webtoon, which passed this work in the first round of the contest and raised the issue of platform responsibility, announced that it would "establish an external advisory committee" in order to "review the current operating policy of the entire content service, including the contest."
On the 22nd, Naver Webtoon posted a notice on its bulletin board titled 'We would like to inform you about the direction of improving the content operation policy and process.' In the notice, Naver Webtoon stated, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to readers and webtoon creators due to recent issues related to the contest," and "We will reflect the various opinions you have sent us so far and establish the following improvement directions in order to establish a better service operation policy."
The directions for improvement revealed by Naver Webtoon are as follows: △Establishing an external advisory committee comprised of experts in the platform, comics industry, and creative fields; △Naver Webtoon will do its best to cooperate so that the external advisory committee can review the current operating policies for the entire content service, including contests; △Listen to the voices of Naver Webtoon executives and employees as well as creators and support them to derive more practical directions for improvement; △Supplement the operating policies and processes based on the results of the advisory committee review and create opportunities for this content to be better shared with Naver Webtoon executives and creators.
(Kim Hyo-sil, Hankyoreh, 24.11.22)
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