The South Korean Naver webtoon Everyone Wanja tells the story of writer Wanja and his same-sex partner Yabu, and attempts to change social perceptions of LGBT people. Despite facing criticism and prejudice at the beginning of the series, Wanja continues to work hard to positively change perceptions and inspire young people.
On June 6, 2012, Wanja began a full-length series titled “Wanja to All” on Naver Webtoon in South Korea. The webcomic follows the story of the author and her lover, Yabu, and offers readers a new perspective on her life. At first, you might think that it’s just an everyday story about a couple’s life together, but in the second installment, there’s a surprising twist. The couple is homosexual, or lesbian. This was a radical move that was not common in Korean society at the time.
Wanja’s reasons for expressing her identity in the webtoon were clear. In the prologue, Wanja says to her lover Yabu, “I want to change the world a little bit with this comic,” showing her determination. In fact, before starting the webcomic, Wanja was shocked to learn that many people didn’t recognize the existence of gay people. This highlights the fact that it’s still difficult for LGBT people to be out in South Korean society. Wanja says he started the project with the goal of “raising awareness about homosexuality through my stories.
The early episodes of the webcomic consisted mainly of everyday scenes. For example, there were episodes about first dates and first kisses. However, readers’ reactions were not very positive. Many people expressed their disapproval in the comments section, using words like “dirty” and “disgusting. Rather than being discouraged by the response, Wanja says she became even more determined to make sure her message was clear. Webtoons weren’t just about romance; they were a new avenue for minority voices that were still underrepresented in our society. Over time, readers’ perceptions of webtoons gradually changed, and the number of positive messages began to increase instead of negative comments. The existence of webtoons is very important because now gay and LGBTQ people have to speak up.
For me, the webcomic has changed the way I think about gay people. When I was younger, I had a friend who had a different sexual orientation than me, and although I didn’t think there was anything wrong with homosexuals, I didn’t have a clear concept of what a homosexual was, so I didn’t know how to treat him, and I think I subconsciously rejected him. At the time, I thought I was treating my friend without prejudice, but now that I’ve read Wanja’s webcomic, I realize that my ignorance and immature attitude may have hurt him.
However, in the middle of the webcomic, several events happened to Wanja. Since the story deals with homosexuality, each episode in the comic was received with sensitivity. For example, when a scene involving the death of Wanja’s grandmother appeared, some readers found it offensive, and Wanja went through a process of revising the scene. He was also criticized by readers for his frequent tardiness. Due to the high level of interest and anticipation for the series, even these tardiness issues were often turned into bigger controversies.
One of the biggest controversies occurred in episode 170, “Letcher’s Proposal”. It was about a “secret place and marker” for the LGBT community, and the setting piqued readers’ curiosity. However, some readers used the webtoon to gain access to the real-life community, discover the markings, and invade the privacy of the gay community. This led to criticism from gay people, as well as the social impact of the webtoon and the responsibility of the author. The incident eventually led to an Agora petition to stop the series, but Wanja continues to create the webtoon in hopes that it can contribute to changing the perception of LGBT people.
From my own experience, I think Wanja’s webtoon has made a huge difference in Korean society. Of course, the ultimate goal would be for Korea to become a society where acceptance and consideration for LGBT people comes naturally to everyone. However, with brave creators like Wanja stepping up to the plate and telling LGBTQ stories, it’s worth noting that understanding and interest in minorities is gradually expanding. Recently, the next webtoon, “What is this,” about a gay couple, has also started a series. The author is also heavily influenced by Wanja, and is showing his determination to continue to tell stories about LGBT people.
As such, the perception of LGBT people in Korea is beginning to change. I hope that Wanja’s webtoon will become a pioneer of sorts, inspiring more people to take an interest in LGBT issues and broaden social understanding. I hope that Wanja will continue to follow his path so that more people will be able to accept homosexuals and other LGBT people in the future.
