Regarding writer Jo Yong-seok and his work , the 'no brakes, no helmet' trend you mentioned and the accompanying social responsibility issues represent the most fiercely criticized point among actual readers and bicycle enthusiasts for several years.
Based on recent evaluations and news reports, I will organize the controversy for you.
1. Pointed out as the source of the 'no brakes fixie' trend
From the early stages of his work, writer Jo Yong-seok depicted fixie bicycles without brakes in a cool manner, and received strong criticism for spreading the dangerous perception among his main teenage readers that **"a real fixie must have no brakes."**
Social negative impact noted: According to actual news reports, teenagers imitating the depictions in the webtoon rode without brakes on public roads, leading to multiple accidents causing deaths and serious injuries. In response, the National Police Agency conducted **'intensive crackdowns on fixie bicycles'** in August 2025, treating it as a social problem.
Controversy over the writer's hypocrisy: The core of the criticism is that while the writer himself included campaign-style phrases recommending safe riding, in his actual artwork he subtly omitted brakes or consistently depicted no helmets.
2. 'Dishonorable expulsion' coinciding with the 2025 plagiarism incident
With accumulated controversy over safety negligence, the plagiarism (tracing) incident that occurred in July 2025 became the decisive blow that completely destroyed the writer's reputation.
News evaluation: The media intensively reported on how a 12-year-long webtoon ended while abandoning 'plagiarism,' a basic ethical principle for creators. In particular, coupled with existing criticism of spreading harmful culture to teenagers, harsh public opinion formed that **"ultimately, the writer lacked both skill and ethics."**
Platform's withdrawal: Naver Webtoon took the unprecedented step of deleting all episodes and issuing full refunds. The prevailing analysis is that this decision was made not simply because of plagiarism, but in consideration of damage to brand image from accumulated social controversies (no brakes, etc.).
3. Current public evaluation
Current evaluations of the writer in communities and news comments are extremely negative.
"Disaster in the bicycle world": Among fixie bicycle enthusiasts, he receives harsh criticism as "the main culprit who transformed legitimate bicycle culture into reckless riding culture."
"Disqualified as a creator": After admitting to plagiarism, the fact that even the spectacular depictions he showed were stolen work became apparent, and many readers expressed such strong rejection that they call him a 'social evil.'
In conclusion: Writer Jo Yong-seok has been expelled from the industry while simultaneously bearing two stigmas: **'harmful influence'** that undermined bicycle safety culture and **'plagiarism'** that abandoned creative ethics.
The writer has currently stopped all official activities and is laying low, but regarding accidents caused by the 'no brakes' culture he popularized, he remains unable to escape moral condemnation.
