Yongseok Jo's Wind Breaker Webtoon Suspended Over Tracing Scandal
Discover how relentless weekly deadlines have impacted creative standards and the creator’s heartfelt apology. Read more about the challenges behind the art.
WEBTOON's 'Wind Breaker' Suspended Amid Tracing Allegations
Creator apologizes for compromising standards after years of weekly deadlines
Series Suspended Over Tracing Allegations
Naver WEBTOON announced on Friday that it has officially suspended the popular sports webtoon series Wind Breaker (not to be confused with Satoru Nii's manga of the same name). The suspension comes after allegations surfaced that the series contained tracing, or near-identical reproductions of images from other works.
Creator's Admission and Apology
On July 11, creator Yongseok Jo addressed the issue at the end of episode 177, titled Remains of Sincerity. He admitted, "Some of the reference materials I used resulted in scenes that were nearly identical to those from other works. This is clearly my fault."
Jo explained that years of weekly deadlines had pressured him into compromising his creative standards and expressed deep regret to his readers. Although the series will no longer continue, he shared highlights of the intended ending and provided commentary on his personal blog.
Official Response from WEBTOON
Naver WEBTOON confirmed that Wind Breaker showed similarities in composition and direction with other works, leading to the decision to end both the serialization and service of the series.
About Wind Breaker
Debuting in 2013, Wind Breaker followed a high school student's journey into competitive cycling. It became one of WEBTOON's longest-running and most popular series, with translations available in English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Industry Context and Ongoing Issues
This incident adds to a growing list of plagiarism and tracing controversies within the webtoon industry. Despite Naver WEBTOON's efforts in 2023 to strengthen monitoring systems and develop detection technologies, issues of content copying continue to resurface.
Read the Series
The English version of Wind Breaker is still accessible on WEBTOON.
Source: YNA (Kyung-yoon Kim)
This story highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining originality and integrity in digital comics, reminding creators of the importance of upholding creative standards.