In this blog post, we will look at how the social perception of sexual minorities is changing through the daily lives of same-sex couples in Korean webtoons.
On June 6, 2012, the artist Wan-ja began a full-fledged serialization on the Korean Naver Webtoon under the title “Wan-ja for Everyone.” This Webtoon features episodes of the artist herself and her lover Yabu, and offers readers a new perspective. At first, you might have thought it was just a daily story about a couple’s life, but in episode 2, a surprising development unfolds. They were a lesbian couple. This was a radical attempt that was not common in Korean society at the time.
The reason why Wan-ja expressed her identity as a webtoon artist was clear. In the prologue, Wan-ja expressed her determination by saying to her lover Yabu, “I want to change the world with this webtoon.” Before actually starting the webtoon, Wan-ja was shocked to learn that many people are unaware of the existence of homosexuals. This shows the reality that it is still difficult for sexual minorities to reveal themselves in Korean society. Wan-ja said that she started the work with the goal of “raising awareness of homosexuality through my story” in such a desperate situation.
The early episodes of the webtoon were mainly composed of everyday scenes. For example, there were episodes about first dates and first kisses. However, the response from readers was not very positive. Many people expressed their rejection in the comments section with expressions such as “disgusting” and “disgusting.” Wan-ja said that rather than being frustrated by these reactions, she vowed to make her message even clearer. Webtoons were not simply about depicting romance, but were a new channel for expressing the voices of the underrepresented in our society. Eventually, readers’ perceptions of webtoons gradually changed over time, and positive messages began to replace negative comments. Now, webtoons are of great significance in that homosexuals and sexual minorities should also have the courage to speak up.
I, too, have changed my mind about homosexuality a lot through this webtoon. When I was young, I met a friend who had a different orientation from me. At the time, I didn’t think much of homosexuality, but since I didn’t even have a clear concept of what it was, I think I subconsciously felt a sense of rejection because I didn’t know how to treat that friend. At the time, I thought I treated my friend without prejudice, but now, looking back at Wan-ja’s webtoon, I think my ignorance and immature attitude may have hurt that friend.
However, several incidents occurred to the artist Wan-ja in the middle of the webtoon series. Since the work dealt with homosexuality, each episode that occurred in the work had to be taken sensitively. For example, when a scene involving Wan-ja’s grandmother appeared after her death, some readers strongly objected to the content, saying that it was offensive, and Wan-ja went through the process of revising the scene. The serialization was also criticized by readers for frequent delays. Due to the high level of interest and expectation for the work, even these delays sometimes turned into bigger controversies.
The biggest controversy occurred in episode 170, “Let’s Talk.” The content introduced “secret places and signs” for the gay community, and this setting aroused the curiosity of readers. However, some readers accessed the real community through this webtoon to find out the signs, and an incident occurred in which the privacy of homosexuals was violated. As a result, Wan-ja was criticized by homosexuals, and the social impact of the webtoon and the responsibility of the artist came to the fore. Eventually, the incident led to an Agora petition and even a demand to stop the serialization, but Wan-ja is continuing the serialization in the hope that her webtoon will contribute to changing the perception of sexual minorities.
In my experience, I think Wan-ja’s webtoon has brought about a major change in Korean society. Of course, the ultimate goal is to move beyond this and create a society where everyone is naturally accepting and considerate of sexual minorities. However, it is worth noting that the understanding and interest in minorities is gradually expanding as brave creators like Wan-ja take the lead in telling the stories of sexual minorities with confidence. Recently, a webtoon called “What the Hell” that features a gay couple has begun serialization on Daum Webtoon. This artist is also influenced by Wan-ja, and shows his determination to continue telling stories about sexual minorities.
As such, changes in the perception of sexual minorities are beginning to take place in Korea as well. I hope that Wanja’s webtoon will serve as a kind of pioneer and become an opportunity for more people to take an interest in the issue of sexual minorities and broaden their social understanding. I hope that Wanja will continue to walk her own path so that more people can accept homosexuals and sexual minorities with pride.
