Webtoons have become extremely popular recently due to endless Netflix live-action adaptations, most of which are free to read for viewers worldwide.
That being said, their popularity also brings a sort of negative impact when things go sideways, and that’s precisely the situation with the recent hit webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga Ram.
Apparently, Get Schooled was canceled in the U.S. and stopped in Korea as the manhwa was removed from the official site of Webtoon due to a racist plotline concerning an Asian character and the usage of the N-word against a Black bully in chapter 125.
So, what exactly happened that drove such a popular webtoon to cancellation? Read on to find out more.
What Is Get Schooled Webtoon About?
Before we get into the whole cancellation issue, let’s familiarize ourselves with the plot of the webtoon. The story is about Hwa Jin Na, who works in the Ministry of Education and handles the bullies in high schools who break the rules and avoid the punishment of the law.
While the series has been going well so far, addressing several bullying issues in South Korea and featuring some badass scenes from Hwa Jin Na, the introduction of the new bully paved the way for a controversy.
What Is the Controversy That Led to Webtoon’s Cancelation?
Get Schooled webtoon has been canceled due to its portrayal of racism and discrimination against a mixed-race character. The usage of the N-word further stimulated the issue, prompting users to report on the latest chapter.
The recent episode of Get Schooled begins with the new bully, who starts conversing in a class that is made up of more foreigners than Koreans. However, the controversial plotline begins with the sentence, “I was the only pure Korean in class.”
While this shouldn’t have been met with such an outrageous response, it dives deeper into the racial comments. The author describes the character as a mixed Korean-Ethopian who was called the Korean equivalent of the N-word by fellow Korean schoolmates.
The accurate words from the manhwa are, “Hey, you f*cking black piece of sh*t.” However, it doesn’t stop there as the bully disgraces his fellow students by imitating them and portraying them as monkeys, which is often seen as biased towards Asian people.
Later, a new teacher named Daniel Hyun is introduced to their class, who presents himself as an American father. The bully then starts making fun of him by calling him “a yellow monkey,” which is an offensive historical term for Asians.
Following the response from the bully, the teacher counters the racism by calling him “f*cking n*gga,” which puts the series’ fate at stake. The chapter ends with the main character, Hwa Jin Na, claiming that he will punish the bully in nonviolent ways.
How Is Everyone Reacting to the Controversy?
Following the unexpected incorporation of racial slurs into the new episode, the readers criticized it and expressed their outrage, claiming it should be canceled.
Immediately after the allegations surfaced, Naver Webtoon issued an apology and promised that it would address the issue. After the author issued an apology, the Naver Webtoon soon canceled it in the United States and paused for an indefinite period in Korea too.
While the readers have expressed their discontent in the comment section of Webtoon and other forums, they have also begun criticizing it on X. Here are a few notable reactions from the readers of the webtoon.
So, what do you think about Get Schooled Manhwa getting canceled? Did the author go too far in using the racial theme?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
