Right after the death of national actor the late Lee Soon-jae, KakaoPage promoted a web novel with a setup that evokes the deceased, sparking controversy.
According to the web novel industry on Dec. 4, KakaoPage began promoting the web novel "A veteran actor, but this life starts as a child actor" on the 1st of this month.
The work features a setup in which veteran actor "Lee Geun-jae" dies and is reborn as a talented child actor.
Critics said the protagonist's name differs by only one syllable from the deceased's, and key elements such as being a 90-year-old oldest working actor and a 70-year career are similar to the deceased.
In the opening scene of episode 1, the protagonist climbs the awards stage with help from a junior colleague, which some said recalls the scene at last year's KBS Drama Awards where the deceased went onstage with help from actor Choi Soo-jong.
However, the web novel had already begun serialization on Nov. 6 and is currently published up to episode 124.
Even so, criticism continues that launching a major promotion just four days after the funeral service was inappropriate.
KakaoPage expressed regret, explaining that the promotion had been planned in advance.
A KakaoPage official said, "This promotion was planned in November and discussed with the author in advance, so it was difficult for the platform to decide unilaterally to halt it," and added, "However, we acknowledge that we did not sufficiently consider diverse opinions, and we apologize to readers who felt uncomfortable."