Korean Voice Actress Replaced Over T-Shirt Controversy

PC gaming company Nexon is replacing voice actress Jayeon Kim in MMORPG Closers after controversy over a t-shirt erupted online.

Yesterday, Kim tweeted a photo of herself in a t-shirt that reads “Girls Do Not Need a Prince.”

"I don't need a hero. I need a friend."
Star vs. the Forces of Evil EP08 pic.twitter.com/79CeIBGVSt

— 성우 김자연 (@KNKNOKU) July 18, 2016

As tipster Sang notes, the shirt is apparently connected to feminist Korean website Megalian. (Over on Real Koreans, there’s an explainer on Megalian, detailing its supporters and detractors.)

The shirt caused a ruckus online in South Korea, and today, Nexon announced it was replacing Kim. The only reasons Nexon gave were, as tipster Lively Duly notes, “relating to the matters under controversy at this moment.” Tipster Sang adds that Nexon carefully uses the word “replacing,” adding that it will be in the process of replacing her character’s voice over the next few weeks.

The shirt, as Sang notes, is apparently for a Megalian spin-off site called Megalian4, and that site says it’s not directly related to Megalian.

On Twitter (via Sang), Kim wrote how she didn’t really have strong feelings about Megalian either way, writing that she simply thought it was a site that fought misogyny. She added that she’s not a member of Megalian and that if she did something wrong, she’s willing to accept responsibility.

The controversy over the shirt doesn’t stop with Nexon and Closers. Another game, Hero Warz, also announced it would be replacing the voice actress.

[Thanks subtly_stunning for the tip!]

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