Allegations of Discriminatory Content Lead to Removal and Suspension of Popular Webtoon

"Get Schooled" (Naver Webtoon)

Naver Webtoon, the online platform known for its captivating comics, has made the decision to cancel the series "Get Schooled" and remove it from its US service, following a firestorm of controversy surrounding its alleged racially discriminatory content.

In an official statement released on Saturday, Naver Webtoon announced the discontinuation of the series in the United States, and as a result, the English edition of the webtoon is currently unavailable to readers.

Back on the Korean platform, the latest episode that ignited the controversy, Episode 125, has been promptly removed, and the entire webtoon series has been suspended indefinitely.

Addressing the issue, Naver Webtoon issued a statement on social media, declaring, "The racist content has been removed from our platform. The series has been canceled and will not be returning in the US. It has also been suspended indefinitely from the Korean platform, while we conduct an internal review."

The platform continued, "It should never have been published and we deeply apologize to anyone who encountered it. Racism or racist content have no place on WEBTOON."

The backlash erupted in response to Episode 125, which is set in a rural school in Korea. The story revolves around a narrator who identifies himself as the sole "pure" Korean in his class, facing racism and bullying from a student hailing from a multicultural family. Tensions escalate with the arrival of a new teacher, who has a Korean mother and an American father, as the bully ridicules the teacher, leading to further confrontation.

The episode was originally available for paid viewing in Korean and was slated for release in the US approximately two months later with translations. However, an unauthorized translated version and screenshots of the episode circulated on social media, sparking widespread outrage. Readers criticized the content for being racist against Asians and Black people.

"Get Schooled" had consistently held the coveted top spot as the most popular work on Naver Webtoon's Monday rankings in Korea and had been published in seven countries, including the US, France, and Japan, since its inception in 2020. However, its swift cancellation underscores the importance of addressing concerns surrounding racially insensitive content in today's diverse and interconnected world.

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