I was wondering ... "I am a hole in the law, I fill it"

Kim Ji-yong is a police cadet who earns the trust of his colleagues. He is a high-performing, warm-hearted and physically strong man. Having lost his mother to a burglar in childhood, the self-proclaimed vigilante takes his revenge on criminals who are not dealt with by legal punishment after entering the police academy. Criminals and crime details are described with less fiction to remind readers of high-profile incidents such as the Cho Doo-soon Case and the Audi driving the wrong way. The webtoon “Vigilante” sheds light on social irregularities by depicting a fictitious figure’s life.

“Dark webtoons” gain a growing popularity showing the dark sides of society and revealing the truth that lies behind. They encompass various topics from the limits of the legal system, sexual violence and domestic violence. Many readers empathize with the pains and suffering of the victims and those from all walks of life that have been left unnoticed.

The webtoon titled “27-10,” which started serialized in March, is a story of a 27-year-old woman confessing over being sexually assaulted by his father since she was 10 years old. It deals with sexual violence in family, which has not been touched upon easily. The main character reveals her story candidly and calmly after moving out from her father’s house to receive psychology consultation. Author AJS illustrates the webtoon as a story that it has taken so long to start telling as well as the records of the trace she has left.

A webtoon, the title of which is translated as the kid walking with her head down, has been serialized since April. It tells about domestic violence, unwanted pregnancy and birth-giving. The main character seems to be a typical teenage girl but is bruised with traumatic childhood memories. Her parents assault her verbally and physically, shouting that she should not have been born. The webtoon points out the issue of abortion led by boy preference and structural problems with domestic violence.

Park In-ha, a carton critic and professor at Chungkang College of Cultural Industries, explained that the readership of webtoons has only expanded with various age groups and a wide range of topics. Given the natures of webtoons, authors can confess their painful and traumatic personal experiences and get consolation as well, he added. Naver Webtoon’s leader Kim Yeo-jeong said that she will work on identifying webtoons that deal with various topics as diversity in opinions has become ever significant.

pep@donga.com