Webtoon Creators' Union to File Complaint Against Kakao Entertainment
The Webtoon Creators' Union in South Korea announced on April 21 that it plans to file a complaint with the Labor Relations Commission against Kakao Entertainment for refusing to engage in collective bargaining.Kakao Entertainment is the parent company of Kakao Webtoon, Tapas, and Kakao Page.According to the union, it submitted a request for collective bargaining to Kakao Entertainment on April 11, but received a rejection notice on April 17. The union claims that Kakao Entertainment's refusal constitutes an unfair labor practice under Korean labor law.In its response, Kakao Entertainment reportedly stated that it does not recognize webtoon artists as workers under the Labor Union Act and therefore cannot accept the request for bargaining.Shin-a Ha, head of the Webtoon Creators' Union, criticized the response, saying, "We have formally established and operated a union under the Labor Union Act. This reply is unacceptable and the worst possible outcome."The union had been pushing for negotiations amid recent reports of a potential sale of Kakao Entertainment, arguing that creators' rights must be protected during the process.Source: YNA (Kyung-yoon Kim)
