Yaongyi
Description
Yaongyi is a South Korean webtoon creator best known for the internationally successful series True Beauty, which is also known by its Korean title, Goddess Descending. Her real name is Kim Na-young, and she was born on April 24, 1991. Her pen name, Yaongyi, is the Korean word for the sound a cat makes, similar to "meow" in English. Before becoming a full-time comic artist, she worked as a fitting model, a background that would later help her conceptualize character fashions and proportions for her artwork.
Yaongyi made her debut as a published creator in 2018 with the launch of True Beauty on the digital platform Naver Webtoon (also serviced internationally as LINE Webtoon). The story centers on Jugyeong Lim, a high school student who faces severe bullying and low self-esteem due to her appearance. After mastering makeup through online video tutorials, she transforms into a popular and beautiful "goddess" at her new school, but lives in fear of anyone discovering her bare face. The narrative follows her as she becomes entangled in a love triangle with two boys, the mysterious Suho and the rebellious Seojun, while navigating the complexities of self-esteem, identity, and relationships.
The series explores the themes of self-acceptance, the pressure of societal beauty standards, and the conflict between inner and outer self. Yaongyi has stated that her intention with True Beauty was to speak to its young audience, particularly teenage girls, about the importance of loving oneself. She has clarified that the protagonist's experiences are not directly autobiographical, but the series draws heavily on her personal interest in fashion and makeup, which she views as a form of artistic expression.
True Beauty became a global phenomenon, being translated into approximately ten languages and accumulating billions of views across more than one hundred countries. Due to its popularity, it was adapted into a sixteen-episode television drama series that aired on the South Korean cable network tvN from December 2020 to February 2021, with Yaongyi receiving credit as the original creator. The webtoon was serialized weekly from 2018 until its conclusion in 2022, and has since been collected into multiple print volumes by Webtoon Unscrolled.
In interviews, Yaongyi has discussed her creative process, noting that she initially worked alone on the series for the first year. To manage the demanding weekly schedule, she later organized a team of four assistants to help with backgrounds, coloring, and administrative tasks, though she continues to work long hours, sometimes averaging twelve-hour days. Following the conclusion of True Beauty, she has stated that she is preparing for a new series in the Eastern fantasy romance genre, intending to involve her team more collaboratively from the script stage onward. Her significant impact on the industry includes helping to drive the global popularity of Korean webtoons and their adaptation into other media.
Yaongyi made her debut as a published creator in 2018 with the launch of True Beauty on the digital platform Naver Webtoon (also serviced internationally as LINE Webtoon). The story centers on Jugyeong Lim, a high school student who faces severe bullying and low self-esteem due to her appearance. After mastering makeup through online video tutorials, she transforms into a popular and beautiful "goddess" at her new school, but lives in fear of anyone discovering her bare face. The narrative follows her as she becomes entangled in a love triangle with two boys, the mysterious Suho and the rebellious Seojun, while navigating the complexities of self-esteem, identity, and relationships.
The series explores the themes of self-acceptance, the pressure of societal beauty standards, and the conflict between inner and outer self. Yaongyi has stated that her intention with True Beauty was to speak to its young audience, particularly teenage girls, about the importance of loving oneself. She has clarified that the protagonist's experiences are not directly autobiographical, but the series draws heavily on her personal interest in fashion and makeup, which she views as a form of artistic expression.
True Beauty became a global phenomenon, being translated into approximately ten languages and accumulating billions of views across more than one hundred countries. Due to its popularity, it was adapted into a sixteen-episode television drama series that aired on the South Korean cable network tvN from December 2020 to February 2021, with Yaongyi receiving credit as the original creator. The webtoon was serialized weekly from 2018 until its conclusion in 2022, and has since been collected into multiple print volumes by Webtoon Unscrolled.
In interviews, Yaongyi has discussed her creative process, noting that she initially worked alone on the series for the first year. To manage the demanding weekly schedule, she later organized a team of four assistants to help with backgrounds, coloring, and administrative tasks, though she continues to work long hours, sometimes averaging twelve-hour days. Following the conclusion of True Beauty, she has stated that she is preparing for a new series in the Eastern fantasy romance genre, intending to involve her team more collaboratively from the script stage onward. Her significant impact on the industry includes helping to drive the global popularity of Korean webtoons and their adaptation into other media.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview