WIND BREAKER manhwa suddenly canceled due to tracing controversy

Update on July 16, 2025 at 11:55 AM EST. This article has been updated with the official Creator’s Note on WEBTOON.

The Wind Breaker manhwa has been discontinued following plagiarism accusations against its creator.

According to a compilation posted on Reddit, Wind Breaker writer and illustrator Jo Yongseok has been accused of tracing artwork from other artists, including copying poses and outlines. The examples cited include original artwork by Dr. Poro, commissioned for the “ADRESZ – Hide Inside” music video released on April 2, 2024, the iconic Kaneki Ken panel from Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida, and a piece by @/dnwls3010 posted on July 21, 2022, on X (formerly Twitter). That last case pertains to Jo’s other work, Meet Me Today. He also allegedly traced artwork from YandereWaifu’s account, though in that instance, it appears the source material was AI-generated.

Hello, This is Yongseok Jo.

First, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the recent tracing allegations in my work that caused concern to many people. I

There were some scenes that were similar or nearly identical to iother works that were used as reference material, and this is clearly my fault.

I’ve been chased by weekly deadlines for quite some time, and in the process became hasty and did not uphold the standards that I should have had as a creator.

More than anything, I wanted to share the final story with you all, and the decision to discontinue this series has been a painful one. I am tonce again truly sorry and offer my deepest regrets to the readers.

My deepest gratitude to the readers who believed in me and supported me despite my shortcomings, and I Once again bow my head in apology.

at the very least, I thought it would be best to offer a conclusion, and I have uploaded the final part of Wind Breaker to my personal blog.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Naver followed up with an official notice of discontinuation below Jo’s message, stating that it had confirmed instances of plagiarism between Wind Breaker and other artwork. After discussions with the creator and editors, the platform decided to cancel the series. Naver concluded with an apology and a reaffirmation of its commitment to protecting creator copyrights and opposing plagiarism.

This isn’t the first time Jo has faced plagiarism allegations. Regarding Meet Me Today, he previously acknowledged that he had “excessively referenced other illustrations” in a scene where the main character holds a bottle of alcohol. He later revised and reuploaded the chapter with new panels.

Wind Breaker debuted on WEBTOON’s English platform on December 29, 2014, and has since amassed over 600.7 million views. The story follows straight-A student body president Jay, who gets coerced into joining his school’s biking team, the Hummingbird Crew. Though reluctant at first and more inclined toward studying, Jay discovers a deep passion for cycling, so much so that the bike begins to feel like an extension of himself.

Wind Breaker will soon be discontinued on WEBTOON. As of this article’s update on July 16, the webtoon is still available on the English platform with Part 4, Episode 177 as the final chapter.

Source: Comic Naver