Webtoons, animations emerge for business promotions

Television celebrities and movie stars may not only be competing with virtual social media influencers like Rozy, but also with other 2D characters for advertising gigs as a growing number of businesses show interest in webtoons and animations to target millennials and Generation Z, locally known as the MZ generation. Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Motor Group’s auto parts maker, revealed a racing animation titled “Dead or Arrive” on the company’s official YouTube channel &ldqu

May 31, 2022

Naver Webtoon looks for next big webtoon star

Naver Webtoon, South Korean tech giant Naver’s web-based cartoon platform, announced that it is receiving applications for “The Greatest Webtoon Contest 2022” starting Wednesday. The contest will be held twice this year, with the goal of promoting the creative content industry and local webtoons as well as finding webtoon creators to lead the company, Naver Webtoon said. Applicants are required to submit a maximum of three episodes and may present additional documents, inclu

May 31, 2022

Korean web-based comics make presence known in world

While webtoon-based Korean films and TV series have risen as a tried-and-true source of fresh ideas for creators throughout the world, a growing number of Korean digital comics are making their own presence felt on the global stage. "Navillera: Like a Butterfly," written by Hun and Jimmy and published by Kakao Entertainment, was nominated for the Best Webcomic section at this year's Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, or Eisner Awards for short. The four other nominees are "Ba

May 26, 2022

Kakao Entertainment webtoon 'Navillera' vies for 2022 Eisner Awards

South Korean webtoon “Navillera” will be competing in the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Kakao Entertainment announced Wednesday. According to the company, “Navillera” has been nominated in the best webcomic category alongside “Batman: Wayne Family Adventures” by CRC Payne and StarBite, “Isle of Elsi” by Alec Longstreth, “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe and “Unmasked” by Breri and Nuitt. Named after Will Eisner, a pion

May 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘The Sound of Magic’ creator believes in magic, power of dreams

When asked about the famous line in the drama “The Sound of Magic” -- “Do you believe in magic?” -- the webtoon author and illustrator Ha Il-kwon replied with a brief answer: “I want to believe in magic.” “I think the question, which is continuously repeated throughout the webtoon, was my personal question to the readers, asking if they still have childhood innocence and dreams in their hearts,” Ha said in an email interview with The Korea Herald

May 19, 2022

Naver Webtoon, Munpia hold 1 billion won web novel contest

  Naver Webtoon and Munpia, a web novel platform, are on the hunt for the next big web novels, or novels published online, boasting 1 billion won in prize money.   The two companies said Thursday that their web novel contest will open May 11 with two rounds: the first round for fantasy, action, modern, sports and alternative history via Munpia and the second round for romance and fantasy romance works via Naver Webtoon.  The organizers said the prize money is the largest

April 7, 2022

Webtoon make jump to animation

After supplying storylines for hard hitting dramas to local broadcasters and global streaming services, webtoons are poised to be turned into TV animations. Content production company BY4M Studio announced Monday that it would be reproducing Naver Webtoon’s romance series “A Daytime Moon.” Serialized from 2013 to 2017, the webtoon centers on the romance between a couple who transcend the flow of time by traveling between Daegaya, a nation that inhabited southern parts of the

April 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] Creator of ‘A Business Proposal’ delighted by global attention to webtoon and drama series

Recently adapted into a television drama, the Kakao webtoon “A Business Proposal” has captured the interest of both local and international viewers with its unique, heart-fluttering storyline and dramatic romance of two couples that were brought together because of an unexpected blind date. Because of the different cultural backgrounds of potential viewers, the global launch of “A Business Proposal” began with concerns rather than excitement, webtoon author and illustra

March 21, 2022

Popularity of Korean TV series drives sales of original web comics

The rising global popularity of Korean TV adaptations of web comics has brought in increasing demand for their originals across the world, data showed Thursday. Starring Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Se-jeong, the romantic comedy "Business Proposal," broadcast on SBS and available on Netflix, is currently one of the most talked about TV series at home and abroad. Starting on Feb. 28, the Monday-Tuesday weekly drama hit 10.1 percent in viewership ratings for its sixth episode aired Monday. From

March 17, 2022

'Money Game' first Korean webtoon adapted for US reality show

Thriller webtoon “Money Game” has become the first Korean webtoon to be made into a web-based entertainment show in the US. Though a local adaptation of the webtoon series was made last year on Korean YouTube channel Jin Yong-jin, this is the first time a Korean webtoon’s IP is being adapted by foreign creators, production team and cast, according to Naver Webtoon. The five-part reality show on YouTube channel Jubilee features eight participants who are kept in separate cells

March 16, 2022

Readers share different views about webtoon featuring BTS

The highly anticipated “7 Fates: Chakho,” a joint webtoon project between Naver Webtoon and Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the superband BTS, is drawing mixed reactions from both webtoon and BTS fans at home and abroad. “7 Fates: Chakho,” the webtoon and web-novel series starring BTS members, released its first episode on Saturday. The series received a 7.70 rating as of Monday, which is a harsh start considering most of the Naver platform series have ratings above 8

Jan. 17, 2022

Kakao Entertainment releases new webtoon ‘Call Sign’

Kakao Entertainment released well-known author Cho Seok-ho’s new series “Call Sign” as both a web novel and a webtoon on Friday. “Call Sign,” one of the most anticipated projects of the first half of the year, revolves around a rookie firefighter who has the ability to save others’ lives by putting his own life at stake. “In our world, there are many people who put all of their passion and whole heart into saving other people’s lives. Similar to

Jan. 14, 2022

Kakao Entertainment to expand its webtoon NFTs

Having released its first webtoon NFTs of “Solo Leveling” Wednesday, Kakao Entertainment said it is seeking to expand its NFT business with “The Soulless Duchess.” According to the company, the upcoming NFT is a joint project between Kakao Entertainment’s IP “The Soulless Duchess” and the generative art project company Treasures Club, making the country’s first ever generative webtoon NFT. Generative art is a form of digital art in which the art

Jan. 12, 2022

Kakao Entertainment to release its first NFTs

Kakao’s first webtoon NFTs of its global intellectual property “Solo Leveling” is scheduled to go on sale at a digital art platform and marketplace Klip Drops starting on Jan. 12. Drawn by the webtoon’s illustrator Jang Sung-rak, two of the most famous scenes -- the last scene of the final episode and an iconic scene from the 172nd episode -- will be released as the company’s NFTs. The two NFTs can be bought for 600 KLAY coins, with the first and second NFTs price

Jan. 9, 2022

Kakao Entertainment to release four webtoon series

Kakao Entertainment on Wednesday revealed four webtoons -- “Call Sign,” “Strange Neighbor” (unofficial translation), “Return of the Disastrous Hero” (working title) and “The Unwelcome Guests of House Fildette” -- as some of the most anticipated projects to be released in the first half of the year. “Call Sign,” written by the Kakao Page’s best-known author Cho Seok-ho, revolves around a rookie firefighter who has the ability to

Jan. 5, 2022

S. Korean webtoon market jumps to top W1tr in sales in 2020

The South Korean webtoon industry saw its combined sales top 1 trillion won ($843.6 million) for the first time last year, government data showed Friday. The total sales of the local web-based comic market amounted to 1.05 trillion won in 2020, up 64.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the culture ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). It is the first time that the annual industrywide sales surpassed the 1 trillion-won threshold since 2017, when the ministr

Dec. 24, 2021

Hybe teases BTS webtoon ‘7 Fates: CHAKHO’

Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the superband BTS, has released an official teaser for “7 Fates: CHAKHO,” an upcoming original webtoon collaboration among BTS members, Hybe and Naver Webtoon. The one-minute video, starring RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, talks about fate -- the central theme of the upcoming webtoon. In the teaser clip, the members are seen reaching toward a ball of light as a dramatic instrumental song plays in the background. Drawn from the tiger

Dec. 20, 2021

Will Naver gain exclusive use of the term ‘webtoon’ overseas?

While Korean webtoons enjoy new heights of popularity and gain global recognition as cultural content, the local webtoon industry is concerned that the use of the term “webtoon” may become exclusive for the South Korean internet giant Naver. A type of web comic, webtoons are electronic cartoons and graphic novels that are read by scrolling down the screen, mostly on smartphones and tablet PCs. Amid the successful adaptation of webtoons to movies, drama series and games, a controve

Dec. 13, 2021

JTBC ‘Be Melodramatic’ to return as webtoon

Local cable channel JTBC’s 2019 hit series “Be Melodramatic” will be adapted into a webtoon, media content company BY4M Webtoon Studio said Thursday, unveiling drawings of characters from the TV drama. Romantic comedy “Be Melodramatic” centers around the trio of girlfriends -- a scriptwriter, a film director and a marketing manager -- in the entertainment industry. The story revolves around three characters in their 30s facing challenges and struggles with their

Dec. 9, 2021

Webtoon music evolves from background music to original soundtrack

Drama fans and moviegoers often recall well-known scenes with the accompanying songs, like Aladdin and Jasmine singing “A Whole New World” while riding a magic carpet. Now comics fans are being offered webtoons accompanied by songs from major artists. Top Korean singers, including Baek Z-young, Gummy, K.Will and Kim Jong-kook who have made hit songs for drama soundtracks, are now creating songs for webtoons. Gummy, a veteran artist who has participated in multiple drama soundtrack

Dec. 7, 2021