'Pongpongnam' row exposes South Korea's gender divide

Webtoon's reflection of misogynistic belief that women exploit men for economic gain sparks gender conflict

(123rf)

While expressing disparagement of the opposite sex in a show of hatred has long ailed South Korea, the severe gender conflict took a turn for the worse after a cartoon recently came under fire for misogyny.

The three-story webtoon, "Pong Pong Man From Another World," uploaded to Naver Webtoon last month, is a story that revolves around a 39-year-old man named Park Dong-soo who faces a series of hardships after witnessing his wife's affair, which later leads him to question his place in life.

Although the plot may look similar to other stories, the webtoon is based on the "dishwashing" theory of women apparently laundering their history by tying the knot with a financially stable man purely for money, leading to a loveless marriage. The theory reflects a deep misogynistic belief that women exploit men for economic gain, while men trapped in these relationships are "domestic."

Proponents of the idea -- mostly men -- refer to married men as "pongpongnam," which is a derogatory term based on a Korean dish detergent brand to reference unattractive husbands or male breadwinners as "slaves" used to make money.

The webtoon drew fire from women-focused online communities after it passed the first round of judging for Naver Webtoon's web novel contest late last month, and the controversy shows little sign of abating.

Some male readers have claimed that women are exaggerating to spread misandry against men who face disgraceful situations and that the term contains a grain of truth, as Korean women generally seek a stable source of income from their partners.

"It's a great story that all men should read. ... Men should hold their heads up" after reading the webtoon, one comment in the webtoon's comment section read.

Some male readers even created a list of pongpongnam archetypal characters online so that others could check if they were among them. Female readers, on the other hand, have largely argued that the term is a dig at them, criticizing the plot for degrading women.

Amid a growing war of words over the story, the author, whose pseudonym is "pongpong," explained that the webtoon was based on real-life cases and examples, noting he referenced the term "pongpongnam" from local news reports.

Critics have pointed out that the controversy puts on display the widening ideological gap between South Korean men and women.

"For example, men and women have different thoughts about breadwinners. Men could carry a heavy burden for being one if their partners prefer not to be employed. The issue of who will earn money to support the family and who will stay inside the house differs for all households, and there is no right or wrong answer," Huh Chang-deog, a sociology professor at Yeungnam University, told The Korea Herald.

The professor noted that men and women cross the line to mock and ridicule each other and dump their accountability for bringing up the controversy.

"Men and women should try to see eye-to-eye and put themselves in each other's shoes to understand each other. Or else, the gender conflict will persist," Huh underscored.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)