Naver Webtoon 'Wind Breaker' Admits Plagiarism... Serialization Halted

[Financial News] Naver Webtoon's sports webtoon 'Wind Breaker' has admitted to copying another artist's drawings and has halted serialization.
'Wind Breaker' writer Jo Yong-seok announced the suspension of serialization at the end of episode 177 of part 4, 'Remnants of Sincerity,' released on the 11th, acknowledging the recent controversy over tracing Japanese manga.
Writer Jo stated, "Some scenes in the reference materials used for my work were similar to or almost identical to images from other works," admitting, "This is clearly my fault."
He continued, "As I have been living a life chased by weekly deadlines for many years, I failed to uphold the standards I should have as a creator due to my impatience," and apologized, "I am sorry and deeply regretful to the readers." 
The unresolved ending due to the suspension of serialization was revealed through highlight scenes and text descriptions on a personal blog.
Naver Webtoon stated, "The similarity in composition and direction with other works was confirmed in the 'Wind Breaker' manuscript," and decided to suspend the serialization and service of the work.
'Wind Breaker' is a sports webtoon about the events that unfold as the protagonist, who enjoys cycling, participates in an amateur cycling competition.
It has been serialized for nearly 12 years since 2013 and has been translated into English, Japanese, and Chinese, making it a long-running and popular series on Naver Webtoon.
Meanwhile, Naver Webtoon decided to suspend serialization due to tracing allegations but did not issue a separate notice.
In 2023, when webtoons like 'I Want to Date a Woman' and 'Can I Cancel a Confession?' were embroiled in plagiarism controversies, the suspension of service was announced through notices, but this time, it was only mentioned at the bottom of the latest episode without a separate notice.
Naver Webtoon had promised to develop detection technology and strengthen monitoring during the plagiarism controversies in 2023.

going@fnnews.com Choi Ga-young Reporter