Robot 6
Good God, this is a scary webcomic [UPDATED AGAIN with translation and creator credit]
[UPDATE: Big thanks to commenter SKFK, who tells us that the story is called “Bongcheon-Dong Ghost” (Bongcheon-Dong was the name of a poor area of Seoul, since renamed to avoid past negative associations), and was written and illustrated by Horang (the pen name of 25-year-old cartoonist Jong-Ho Choi).]
…and that’s about all I can say about it, really: This is a very scary webcomic. The text of the strip and the site on which it’s found is in Korean, which I cannot read, and Google Translate doesn’t clearly indicate an author or title, nor translate the text in the comic itself. But the content is crystal-clear even despite the language barrier. As Batman Incorporated artist Chris Burnham (through whom I found the comic) put it, “The pictures tell the story.” And the story, about a girl walking on a deserted city street who sees a strange-looking passerby in the distance, is scary as hell. Like Emily Carroll’s “His Face All Red” before it, this comic uses the unique properties of the web (albeit in a totally different way — you’ll see when you read it) to deliver an intensely uncomfortable experience. Read it yourself, preferably with your speakers on and nothing you can’t afford to drop in your hands.
Meanwhile, if any Korean readers or manhwa fans out there can help us out with the creator, title, and translation of the comic, please let us know in the comments below.
UPDATE: Commenter GlassThorne directs us to this translation of the comic on Tumblr. Still no word on the creator, though.
27 Comments
Ric
August 23, 2011 at 11:21 am
Jesus Christ! It can’t be unseen!
The Dude
August 23, 2011 at 11:23 am
That ending really got me.
I’d argue that this works even better by not being able to read the text.
Matt Duarte
August 23, 2011 at 11:33 am
FFFFFFFFFFFFF—–
Totally got me too.
MrJM
August 23, 2011 at 11:35 am
Pants = Shat
– MrJM
Tim
August 23, 2011 at 11:37 am
I agree. Me just poop my pants (gulp) watching this!!
JL
August 23, 2011 at 11:39 am
Literally jumped out of my chair. Christ, that’s messed up
Andrew
August 23, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Wow, great, but the end didn’t really work for me without the text. Just the creature on the ground panel was like, wait, what?
Matt Demers
August 23, 2011 at 12:36 pm
The fact you can’t scroll back up really got me!
Peruna
August 23, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Welp, no sleep for me tonight. Scared me so much I nearly cried, jesus.
Scud
August 23, 2011 at 12:47 pm
That was all kinds of awesome.
Sean T. Collins
August 23, 2011 at 12:59 pm
This is the best comment thread ever.
GlassThorne
August 23, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Found a translation on Tumblr.
http://momodarou.tumblr.com/post/9286822782/translation-of-fucking-scary-korean-webcomic
Dan
August 23, 2011 at 5:52 pm
If there’s one thing Asians know it’s how to be scary as shit.
SKFK
August 23, 2011 at 8:09 pm
The title is “Bongcheon-Dong Ghost”, and the author goes by the name “Horang,” which is a pen name. (His real name is Jong-Ho Choi, and he’s 25 years old.) This work is the latest entry in a special summer series of short web comics (either done-in-one or two-parters) called “2011 Mystery Shorts,” with different creators taking turns each time. (“Mystery” is often used in Korea to mean “scary urban legend.”)
This one is Horang’s second short story in this summer’s series, and his first one, “Oksu Subway Station Ghost,” was a big hit in Korean web as well when it came out in July. “Oksu Subway Station Ghost” relies much more on the text for the storyline, and it uses Flash animation for shock effect. It also uses smartphones and mobile social networking services as a crucial story element, with real-time uploading of a photograph and other users’ comments on it providing an important plot twist.
Incidentally, I found out that Bongcheon-Dong no longer exists as an administrative district of Seoul. The name “Bongcheon-Dong” had too much association with past poverty, so when the area was redistricted in 2008, the area formerly known as Bongcheong-Dong was renamed, It’s now called Euncheon-Dong.
Anise
August 23, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Holy crap. I screamed.
Now I want to go back and reverse engineer the website, because I’m a nerd.
Michael
August 24, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Yes, I too nearly pit my shance… TWICE! Who in the hell anticipated that? Talk about using some old ass technology to the fullest effect.
Passerby
August 29, 2011 at 6:22 am
Here is the author’s blog:
http://blog.naver.com/studiohorang
Author’s email:
studiohorang@naver.com
dore
September 15, 2011 at 11:01 pm
i saw it and i closed the tab straight away. but it still had an effect on me for 30 min that my right hand was shaking uncotrollably for 30 minutes.
horang
September 16, 2011 at 6:12 pm
http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=31
English ver. published. enjoy!
Maki
October 21, 2011 at 12:18 am
The First Shock Got me.. The 2nd time it didn’t work to me.. hahah ! just expecting a suspense moment after i shocked.. xD where can i find more shocking comics like this ?
hope your immediate response
Key Em
October 28, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Holy Crap!! What a magnificent draw art,, I just told by my friend there was a horror comic and he said it’s so funny in the end of story,, and at worst I open the link,,!! GEE,,,,,,,,, (you know what I mean,,) I almost scream,,,
(
Wiggles
November 19, 2011 at 6:35 pm
English version can be found here:
http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=31
gothaku16
January 23, 2012 at 2:16 pm
can someone know were can I find a version without the text? I want to translate it into Spanish
Guilherme
January 31, 2012 at 9:30 am
I saw this on the school library full of kids playng flash games on the pc’s, my friend was like, dude this is the scariest shit i ever saw, I was like, dude no comic can scare a person. I was wrong. I screamed like a lil girl. I can only imagine if i was alone in the dark.
Shauna
March 1, 2012 at 9:42 am
HERE’S THE ENGLISH ONE!!!! http://comic.naver.com/webtoon/detail.nhn?titleId=350217&no=31&weekday=tue
Shauna
March 1, 2012 at 9:46 am
am i the only one who didnt scream or shit my pants? :\
Francesca
June 2, 2012 at 7:18 pm
A friend of mine introduced me to this web toon, and in a way I’m so proud that the guy who made it is Korean like me
, but it sure made me rethink just how scary traditional Korean horror stories used to be like. Whenever there were those parts where the head turns around, etc, holy shit not even kidding, I screamed like … o God..
Then they said to keep scrolling and I was like HUH are you serious? There’s still MORE?!!!!
Anyway I’m a girl who’s never found American horror stories ever to be scary enough for me, but this, THIS shit does the trick.
And now to return to the web toon for some more thrills…