Webtoon
Webtoons (Korean: 웹툰) are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually viewed on various forms of electronic devices.
This article is about the type of comics. For the platform, see Webtoon (platform). For animation made for the Web, see Computer animation § Web animations.During the initial development, Webtoons was known outside of South Korea.This changed when Manhwa started increasing in popularity, which caught the eye of many international readers[1]. Many Manhwa are under now Webtoons.[2] In the country, as digital Manhwa have emerged as a popular medium, print publication of Manhwa has decreased. The amount of material published in Webtoon form has now reached an equal amount as that published offline.[3]
Market[edit]
The market for webtoons and their derivatives is currently valued at around KR₩420 billion (US$368 million).[19]
Although digital comics are increasingly popular, print publication remains the primary means of comic retail. Some publishers offer online content and print content simultaneously.[20]
Webtoons have been taken as source material by a number of different mediums, including film and television; one of the earliest examples of this was 'Tazza, a 2006 film based on the comic by Huh Young-man. This work was serialized in the Sports Chosun and garnered over 100 million homepage views, later being adapted into two films. (Tazza: The High Rollers, Tazza: The Hidden Card), and one television series (Tazza (TV series)). Another of Huh's works, Sikgaek (Le Grand Chef), was published in the Dong-a Ilbo for five years and sold 540,000 copies in paperback version.
Naver's Webtoon service, launched in 2014, is now the biggest webtoon platform in Korea. According to Naver, it reaches over 6.2 million daily users. The free WEBTOON translation service has allowed webtoons to form part of the global Korean Wave.[21]
They also collaborate with movies.[22]
Webtoon is also pursuing an international diversification strategy to grow its market in Asia and around the world.[23]
As of September 2023, NAVER Webtoon had grown to 180 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide.[24]