Manhwa Artist Mingwa Addresses Rumors About Her Comic BJ Alex

She has asked readers not to spread rumors.

International readers of the web comic BJ Alex, a BL manhwa (comic) that tells the story of BJ (Broadcast Jockey) Alex and classmate Dong-gyun, have been eagerly awaiting the release of side story MD X Chan Woo. Perhaps because of the hype due to anticipation for the story, a rumor was spread that the story would only be published in Korea.

The manhwa‘s (comic) artist Mingwa took to Twitter to release a statement addressing the rumor, decrying it as incorrect and asking fans of the series not to spread rumors.

Although readers are anxious for the side story, loyal fans of the artist and her work have been encouraging others to be respectful and not to take rumors at face value.

When her comic first launched online in January 2018, it encountered a great deal of piracy with numerous sites providing pirated or scanlated copies for free. In an interview with manga company Futekiya, Mingwa expressed her frustrations the theft and shared how it detrimentally impacted her life.

 

The act of freely viewing manhwa on illegal sites greatly affects my economic situation. I only publish BJ Alex, which is available only on Lezhin. In other words, Lezhin coins are my sole source of income, and I don’t get a single cent from users reading BJ Alex for free on illegal sites. The income from coins is fair payment for the labor that goes into drawing the manhwa. I need an income to live a normal life and draw in a better environment. If there are more users of illegal sites, I might not be able to work.

—Mingwa

Thankfully, fan pages for her comic have largely been respectful and have not taken part in reposting the side story.