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Naver Webtoon Revises Comment Policy Following Backlash Over Author Identities
posted on by Wonhee Cho
According to Korean trade media outlet Chosun Economy, Naver WEBTOON has quietly revised its comment system after a month of criticism over revealing authors' nicknames in past comments, which led to accusations of opinion manipulation.
In June, the platform changed its comment display format from “ID only” to “nickname (ID),” to encourage more direct communication between readers and authors. However, the change also retroactively applied to comments posted before June, exposing authors' nicknames on older posts.
This led to controversy when users discovered that some creators had previously posted comments defending their own works against criticism while appearing to be ordinary readers. Others were found to have downplayed industry issues such as tracing—copying artwork from other comics—under the guise of neutrality. Screenshots of these comments circulated widely, sparking criticism of the authors.
In response, Naver WEBTOON introduced an option in July allowing authors to decide whether their nicknames would be displayed. The company also retracted nickname visibility from comments posted before June.
A Naver WEBTOON spokesperson said the company routinely reviews feedback from both creators and readers, and determined that maintaining the original display rules for older comments was more appropriate.
Source: Chosun Economy (Kang-han Kim)
