Juniljus is the artist behind the popular webcomic “Roxana,” which tells the story of a woman reincarnated into a fantasy world. Recently, Juniljus suffered a devastating miscarriage.
As any woman who has gone through this trauma can attest, a miscarriage takes both a physical and emotional toll. One would expect that compassionate employers would allow time for recovery. Tragically, this was not the case for Juniljus.
Despite her anguish, the executives at the company publishing the webcomic denied Juniljus’s reasonable request for leave. Driven by profit and callous indifference, they demanded she continue drawing to meet publishing deadlines.
Still grieving and physically weak, Juniljus had no choice but to push her body beyond its limits. Soon after, she landed in the hospital from exhaustion.
Yet even as she lay recuperating in her hospital bed, the executives continued to pressure Juniljus to draw. They refused to delay the comic’s next season launch to allow this emotionally and physically battered woman time to heal.
The irony stings all the more given that Junijlus recently learned her unrelenting executive producer himself plans to take paternal leave.
In sum, media company executives denied a miscarrying manga artist compassionate leave, driving her to hospitalization in their profit-driven quest for an uninterrupted comic release. Their actions speak to capitalism’s callousness.
No human being should face such heartlessness in life’s darkest moments.
Tapas Acquisition by Kakao Sparks Controversy as Webcomic Artist Loses Revenue and Fans Revolt
Sue is the author behind the popular webcomic “Sound of Bread,” published on Tapas. She recently learned some devastating news. First, after Tapas was acquired by Kakao, the new management canceled Sound of Bread season 2 despite its popularity.
As Tapas holds the intellectual property rights, Sue cannot continue the series elsewhere even if she desires to.
However, the second piece of news was far more personally painful. When Tapas sent the season 2 cancellation notice, they also terminated Sue’s revenue-sharing agreement for the already completed season 1—a document she admits to signing without fully reading in her distressed state.
Overnight and without warning, Sue lost out on all earnings from her hit comic’s first season just as she began relying on that income to support her creative career pivot.
Sue attempted to appeal to Tapas, certain there must be some mistake. However, the company coldly confirmed they intentionally revoked her season 1 revenue share as part of broader changes.
Sue heard similar stories from other Tapas creators who were blindsided by revised contracts.
Blaming callous corporate greed, Sue feels Tapas robbed her through intentional deceit. Having lost out on what she worked for, she now encourages fans to pirate “Sound of Bread” rather than support Tapas monetarily.
For those who still wish to back her creative work directly, she welcomes contributions via her Ko-fi page or donated art supplies. But Sue vows never to publish on or promote Tapas again after feeling so betrayed.
More About Kakao
Kakao began in 2010 as a South Korean internet company formed through a merger between the web portal Daum Communications and the original startup Kakao Inc.
This combined entity was known as Daum Kakao for a period starting in 2014. However, in 2015, the company consolidated its brand identity under the simpler name Kakao.
Seeking to expand beyond its popular free messaging app, KakaoTalk, Kakao has made major acquisitions to become a digital media conglomerate.
A key purchase came in 2015 when it bought the American social media firm Path, which had gained a large Indonesian user base.
However, Kakao’s most impactful deal occurred in early 2016 when it acquired a controlling 76.4% ownership stake in LOEN Entertainment – one of South Korea’s largest entertainment companies – for $1.5 billion.
This subsidiary was soon rebranded as Kakao M, now forming the backbone of Kakao’s music and content arms.
As of 2017, KakaoTalk itself boasted 220 million registered users globally, with 47 million monthly active users.
The hugely popular free smartphone messaging app features texting, calls, and more.
Along with this original breakout business, Kakao’s widening portfolio of digital media properties has rapidly grown the company both at home and abroad.
