South Korean webtoon slammed for heroine resembling Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae

A webtoon in South Korea has come under fire for a protagonist some say resembles the only publicly known child of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with critics arguing the series normalises a clandestine regime notorious for alleged human rights abuses.

Princess Goes to School, a fictional romantic comedy released last week on platform giant Naver, centres on Kim Seol – a seemingly ordinary high school student in South Korea who is unaware she is the scion of Pyongyang’s rulers – and her relationship with a young covert agent assigned to protect her.

In the story, Kim Seol lives a normal campus life while the so-called “black agent”, acting as her undercover bodyguard, infiltrates the school to shadow and protect her.

Webtoons are South Korea’s digital comic strips, akin to Japan’s manga, created by independent artists who publish online in the hope their work will be adapted into television dramas, films, animation or games.

According to the Korea Herald, critics have drawn parallels between Princess Goes to School’s premise and Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae, arguing that its sympathetic portrayal risks softening perceptions of the North Korean regime.

  

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