View source for Webtoon

{{Short description|South Korean digital comics}}
{{about|the type of comics|the platform|Webtoon (platform)|animation made for the Web|Computer animation#Web animations}}
[[File:Webtoon_logo.png|thumb|Icon Webtoon]]
{{comics navbar|title=Webtoon}}
{{culture of Korea}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
'''Webtoons''' ({{Korean|hangul=웹툰|rr=Weptun}}) are a type of episodic [[digital comic]]s that originated in [[South Korea]] usually meant to be read on [[smartphones]]. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of South Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally thanks to the easy online accessibility and variety of free digital comics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harper |first1=David |title=The Rise of Webtoon |url=https://sktchd.com/longform/the-rise-of-webtoon/ |access-date=29 October 2024 |work=article |publisher=SKTCHD |date=March 3, 2020}}</ref> Today, Webtoons make roughly $5.91 billion globally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tanna |first1=Shreyas |title=Revenue of USD 5.91 Bn in 2022; says Absolute Markets Insights |url=https://www.einpresswire.com/article/643116280/global-webtoons-market-recorded-revenue-of-usd-5-91-bn-in-2022-says-absolute-markets-insights |access-date=29 October 2024 |work=article |agency=Industry Global News 24 |publisher=EIN Presswire |date=July 5, 2023}}</ref>
In the country, as digital comics have emerged as a popular medium, print publication of comics has decreased.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} The amount of material published in webtoon form has now{{When|date=December 2023}} reached an equal amount as that published offline.<ref>Noh, Sueen. ""To Be or Not to Be, That Is the Question": What Is Happening with Korean manga, (comic), Today?" International Journal of manga Art (IJOCA) 9.2 (2007): n. pag. International Journal of manga Art (IJOCA). John A. Lent, Sept. 2007. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.</ref>

==Format==
Webtoons usually feature a few of common traits: each episode is published on one long, [[Vertical direction|vertical]] strip (making use of an [[infinite canvas]] rather than multiple pages so that it is easier to read on a [[smartphone]] or [[computer]]); some feature music and [[animations]] that play during each chapter; and unlike the majority of East Asian comics, they are usually in color instead of black-and-white since they are published digitally on a website or app rather than physically in a magazine. In the case of South Korea, there are also different censorship laws for materials published online than in print which has led to more comic that is erotic and sexually explicit being produced and published as webtoons.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2015/04/133_176155.html|title = Watchdog hit for excessive digital censorship|date = 30 March 2015}}</ref>

===Revenue model===
Like other online publications, there are a variety of payment models used for webtoons. Some offer a limited set of chapters for free and charge for the rest. Others allow only a certain number of chapters to be read per day without payment.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

Creators of webtoons can earn money from ads displayed on their series. Until 2019, amateur creators could earn money from the credit that was given by their fans. The money that the pro and amateur creators receive depends on the page view.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.webtoons.com/en/creators101/makemoney|title=Creators 101 :: MAKE MONEY|website=www.webtoons.com|access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref>

==History==
While there has been webcomics uploaded and hosted by individual creators since the mid-to-late 1990s, the advent of the webtoon model dates back to 2000, when Lycos Korea, the Korean version of the American search engine [[Lycos]], launched the ''comic Bang'' section in their portal site. [[Yahoo! Korea]] followed suit with a similar service called ''Cartoon Sesang'' two years later. By the year of 2002, based on the Cultural Industry Promoting Law, the predecessor of the [[Korea Creative Content Agency]] was established and started to support the comic and related industries as a whole.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=A Study on the Role of Web-Toon Agency from the Viewpoint of Industrial Life Cycle theory |journal=한국만화애니메이션학회 |doi=10.7230/KOSCAS.2018.51.225 |doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |url=https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO201824236535858.pdf }}</ref>

The Korean web portal [[Daum (web portal)|Daum]] created a webtoon service known as [[Daum Webtoon]] in 2003 and was later followed by [[Naver Corporation|Naver]] with the launch of [[Naver Webtoon]] in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140525000452|title=Korean webtoons going global|last=Herald|first=The Korea|date=2014-05-25|website=www.koreaherald.com|access-date=2016-04-27}}</ref> These services regularly release webtoons that are available for free. According to David Welsh of [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]], comics account for a quarter of all book sales in South Korea, while more than 3 million Korean users paid to access online comic and 10 million users read free webtoons.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2007-04-23/forget-manga-dot-heres-manhwabusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice|title=Forget Manga. Here's Manhwa|last=Welsh|first=David|website=Bloomberg.com|date=23 April 2007|access-date=2016-04-27}}</ref>

South Korea's first webtoon is ''Uninhabited Island'' ({{Korean|hangul=무인도|hanja=無人島|rr=Muindo}}) by Han Hee-jak in 1996.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2016-06-23|title=숫자로 보는 만화산업|trans-title=Cartoon industry in numbers|url=https://www.etnews.com/20160623000017|language=Korean|work=Etnews|access-date=2022-11-20}}</ref>

{{as of|2014|07}}, Naver had published 520 webtoons while Daum had published 434. Since the early 2010s, services such as [[Tappytoon]] and [[Spottoon]] have begun to officially translate webtoons into English while some Korean publishers like [[Lezhin Comics]], Toomics, and TopToon have begun to self translate their works.<ref name="WallStreetJournal">{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2015/04/03/startup-battles-naver-in-english-webtoons/|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|title=Startup Battles Naver in English Webtoons|last=Lee|first=Jun-Youb|date=2015-04-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20151118000912 |title=Rolling Story takes Korean webtoons to global audience |author=박형기 |date=November 18, 2015 |website=koreaherald.com |access-date=8 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Chul-hyun |date=2016-03-17 |title=웹툰 기업 레진·탑코믹스, 글로벌 진출로 '웹툰 산업 자생력 키운다' |trans-title=Webtoon company 'Lezhin Comics' and 'Top Comics', 'cultivate the self-sustaining power of the webtoon industry' by entering the global market |url=https://it.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2016/03/17/2016031785031.html |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=ITChosun(IT조선) |language=ko}}</ref> Examples of popular webtoons that have been translated into English are ''[[Lookism (manhwa)|Lookism]]'', ''Untouchable'', ''[[Yumi's Cells (webtoon)|Yumi's Cells]]'', ''[[The Sound of Heart]]'', ''{{ill|Tales of the Unusual (manhwa)|lt=Tales of the Unusual|ko|기기괴괴}}'', ''[[The Gamer (comics)|The Gamer]]'', ''[[The God of High School]]'', ''[[Girls of the Wild's]]'', ''[[Noblesse (manhwa)|Noblesse]]'', and ''[[Tower of God]]''. In recent years, these webtoons have been gaining popularity in Western markets, rivalling Japanese [[manga]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wowtv.co.kr/newscenter/news/view.asp?bcode=T32001000&wowcode=W014&artid=X20150101224918&compcode=HK |publisher=Wow TV|title=[다시 도전이다] 미생·스틸레인 웹툰작가들, 美·中 독자도 웃고 울린다|date=2015-01-01}}</ref>

In the past, it was divided into two ratings: All (webtoon suitable for all ages) and 18 (No one under 18 is allowed to read this webtoon). From May 2019, the webtoon rating system was implemented. It is said that 10 platforms including Naver and Daum will participate. The ratings are expected to be △ All △ 12 years or older △ 15 years or older △ 19 years old (18 years old) or older.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.segye.com/newsView/20190510510666|publisher=Segyeilbo|title=웹툰 속 '극단적 선택' 표현…네이버·다음 등 '웹툰 등급제' 시행 예정|date=2019-05-14}}</ref>

===Generation Zero===
[[File:Webtoon Zeroth generation.png|thumb|Layout of an early webtoon. Buttons allow turning the page.]]
The earliest webtoons were scanned original comics uploaded onto the [[Internet]], usually formatted on a one-page layout.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

===First generation===
With the development of technology, authors were able to utilize flash animation effects.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Second generation===
[[File:Webtoon second generation.png|thumb|An example of a second generation webtoon]]Enhanced preloading enabled later authors to adopt a vertical layout with scrolling. In contrast to comics with a dense panel composition, scrolling brings new panels into view. This makes webtoons suitable for [[Infinite canvas|gradual and continuous representation]], allowing webtoon reading to become more fluid.<ref name="Chang">{{cite book|title=애니메이션 연구6(Animation studies6)|date=2012-06-30|publisher=한국 애니메이션 학회(Korean cartoon and animation studies)|pages=124–139|last1=Han|first1=Chang-wan}}</ref>

===Third generation===
[[File:Tower of God (Season 1) Ep. 2.png|thumb|A scene from the webtoon ''[[Tower of God]]'', a third-generation webtoon]]
[[File:Screenshot of Daum Webtoon's webtoon viewer, showing a panel from Jang Yi's Amazing Rumor Chapter 1.jpg|thumb|300px|An example of a modern [[Korean language|Korean]] webtoon viewed through a webtoon viewing interface (''Amazing Rumor'' by Jang Yi in [[Daum Webtoon]])]]

With the advent of the smartphone and tablet, webtoons have also migrated to new platforms such as apps. There have also been sounds introduced to imply further expressions and tones, as well as interactive motions to create excitement and bring attention to certain objects for the viewers.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jang|first1=Wonho|last2=Song|first2=Jung Eun|date=2017-08-31|title=Webtoon as a New Korean Wave in the Process of Glocalization|journal=Kritika Kultura|issue=29|doi=10.13185/kk2017.02908|doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |issn=2094-6937|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Prior to 2014, most webtoons were only available in English through unofficial [[fan translation]]s. In July 2014, [[Naver]] subsidiary [[Line Corporation|Line]] began publication of translations of popular webtoons to English via the [[Webtoon (platform)|Webtoon]] service.<ref name="prnewswire">{{cite web |title=Popular Mobile Webcomic Service, WEBTOON, Debuts in the United States and Worldwide |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/popular-mobile-webcomic-service-line-webtoon-debuts-in-the-united-states-and-worldwide-2014-07-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707125134/http://www.marketwatch.com/story/popular-mobile-webcomic-service-line-webtoon-debuts-in-the-united-states-and-worldwide-2014-07-02 |archive-date=7 July 2014 |access-date=16 August 2014 |publisher=PRNewswire}}</ref><ref name="arirang">{{cite web |title=Korea's webtoon market experiences exponential growth over past 10 years |url=http://www.arirang.co.kr/news/News_View.asp?nseq=166701 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122103605/http://www.arirang.co.kr/news/News_View.asp?nseq=166701 |archive-date=22 November 2021 |access-date=16 August 2014 |publisher=Arirang News}}</ref>

==Market==
The market for webtoons and their derivatives is currently valued at around KR₩420 billion (US$368 million).<ref>{{cite web|title = South Korean 'webtoon' craze makes global waves {{!}} The Japan Times|url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2015/11/25/entertainment-news/south-korean-webtoon-craze-makes-global-waves/#.VlgE3r8nuJ9|website = The Japan Times|access-date = 2015-11-30|language = en-US}}</ref>

Although digital comics are increasingly popular, print publication remains the primary means of comic retail. Some publishers offer online content and print content simultaneously.<ref name=con>{{cite web|last1=Choi|first1=yun cheol|title=2009해외콘텐츠 시장조사(2009 abroad contents market research)|url=http://www.kocca.kr/cop/bbs/view/B0000147/1200883.do?searchCnd=1&searchWrd=2009+&cateTp1=&cateTp2=&useAt=&menuNo=201825&categorys=0&subcate=0&cateCode=&type=&instNo=0&questionTp=&uf_Setting=&recovery=&pageIndex=1|website=www.kocca.kr|publisher=한국콘텐츠진흥원(Korea creative contents agency)}}</ref>

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 '''[[Tajja|Tazza]]'', a 2006 film based on the comic by [[Huh Young-man]]. This work was serialized in the [[The Chosun Ilbo|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 (manhwa)|Sikgaek]] ([[Le Grand Chef]])'', was published in the [[The Dong-a Ilbo|Dong-a Ilbo]] for five years and sold 540,000 copies in paperback version.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

[[Naver]]'s [[Webtoon (platform)|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 Culture.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Song|first1=Jung-Eun|last2=Nahm|first2=Kee-Bom|last3=Jang|first3=Won-Ho|title=The Impact of Spread of Webtoon on the Development of Hallyu: The Case Study of Indonesia|journal=한국엔터테인먼트산업학회논문지|date=2014|volume=8|issue=2|pages=357–367|url=http://www.riss.kr.access.ewha.ac.kr/link?id=A100037287|access-date=2015-04-08}}</ref>

They also collaborate with movies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=9108816&memberNo=31724756&mainMenu=MOVIE|publisher=Cineplay|title=영화를 웹툰으로 미리 본다? 영화X웹툰 콜라보의 세계|date=2017-08-14}}</ref>

Webtoon is also pursuing an international diversification strategy to grow its market in Asia and around the world.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Sangim |last2=Lee |first2=Youngju |date=2022-02-24 |title=웹툰 플랫폼의 국제적다각화 전략-네이버웹툰과 카카오웹툰의 일본 진출 사례를 중심으로 |url=https://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE11059858 |journal=만화애니메이션 연구|issue=66 |pages=589–629 |doi=10.7230/KOSCAS.2022.66.589 |s2cid=248796176 |access-date=2022-03-31|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

As of September 2023, [https://comic.naver.com/index NAVER Webtoon] had grown to 180 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |last=Yang |first=Jinwon |date= 2023-09-01 |title=네이버, 웹툰 '글로벌 1위' 굳히기… 해외 시장 공략 '박차' |url=https://www.moneys.co.kr/news/mwView.php?no=2023083108400168800 |work= 머니S리포트 |location=Korea |access-date=2023-09-24}}</ref>

==Outside of South Korea==
The webtoon format has also expanded to other countries with many different distributors offering original and translated webtoons for users to read as well as offering platforms for anyone to upload their own webtoons.

===Mainland China and Taiwan===
In mainland [[China]] and [[Taiwan]], webtoons along with [[web manhua]] have seen an increase in production and popularity since they are rarely published and just like in South Korea, have resulted in a resurgence and interest in the [[manhua]] industry as more content is consumed digitally. Almost all of the big webtoon portals in China are offered by the big internet companies in the country while in Taiwan the bigger webtoon publishers outside of the country like [[Comico (NHN Japan)|Comico]], Toomics, and [[Webtoon (platform)|Webtoon]] are more popular since their services are available there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/48619/how-line-webtoon-and-comico-to-do-ip-taiwan-comic-book|title=台灣線上原創漫畫發威，看LINE WEBTOON和comico如何經營IP｜數位時代 BusinessNext|website=數位時代}}</ref>

===Japan===
Webtoons in [[Japan]] were slow to catch on as well as in other countries mainly due to the traditional [[manga]] industry still being the main way in which manga gets released and published. Even [[web manga]], which have seen a recent rise in popularity, are often in black-and-white instead of color, as is common in their Korean and Chinese counterparts, despite being released digitally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/08/02/business/manga-goes-digital-via-smartphone-apps-paper-comics-still-place/|title=As manga goes digital via smartphone apps, do paper comics still have a place?|first=Kazuaki|last=Nagata|date=August 2, 2017|website=The Japan Times}}</ref> Despite this, there have been some strides to penetrate the Japanese market and slowly more [[mangaka]] are trying out the webtoon format to release their titles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2021/06/134_235729.html|title=Korean game, webtoon providers cruise in Japan|date=August 31, 2017|website=koreatimes}}</ref> Lezhin, Comico, Naver, Line, and Kakao offer webtoon portals with translated works for Japanese readers. Comico, one of the biggest webtoon publishers in the world, was created by the Japanese subsidiary of [[NHN Entertainment]], [[NHN Japan]]. To date, there are only two webtoon portals that offer original Japanese webtoons, Comico and Naver (under the name XOY 2017–2018 to 2019). All XOY webtoons have been integrated onto [[Line Manga]] a Japanese Manga service while XOY was up until its demise in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://linecorp.com/en/pr/news/en/2018/2328|title=[Japan] LINE Manga Operator, LINE Digital Frontier, Procures JPY 8.6 B from NAVER WEBTOON &#124; LINE Corporation &#124; News|website=LINE Corporation}}</ref> Kakao has also had success in the Japanese market by offering both licensed manga and translated Korean webtoons with their service, [[Piccoma]]. This has been credited to the webtoon pay model that the service implements where some chapters are offered for free for a short period of time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/elaineramirez/2018/01/16/kakao-will-use-wildly-popular-south-korean-webtoons-to-build-an-audience-in-japan-china/|title=Kakao Will Use Wildly Popular South Korean Webtoons To Build An Audience In Japan & China|first=Elaine|last=Ramirez|website=Forbes}}</ref> [[Kakao Japan]] has announced that it will start offering original Japanese, Korean, and Chinese webtoons for Piccoma in the Summer of 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Kakao-Japan-ramps-up-manga-content-via-smartphone-app|title=Kakao Japan ramps up manga content via smartphone app|website=Nikkei Asia}}</ref> 2021 saw a great deal of tracking for webtoon in Japan with investment from traditional Japanese manga publishers like [[Shueisha]] and [[Shogakukan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Made-in-Japan manga goes global with Webtoon, Deadpool |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/made-japan-manga-global-webtoon-deadpool-83150006 |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=誰でもマンガをつくれる？"縦スクロール漫画" コンテスト！ 小学館×バンダイ主催『TOON GATE(トゥーンゲート)』12月3日スタート |url=https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000091058.html |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES|date=December 3, 2021 }}</ref> [[Celsys|CELSYS]] announced on that they will support webtoon in their CLIP STUDIO READER platform from February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=viviONの電子コミックストア「DLsite comipo」のWEBTOON作品の配信にセルシスが提供する電子書籍ビューア「CLIP STUDIO READER」が採用 |url=https://www.celsys.co.jp/topic/20220225 |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=CELSYS |language=ja}}</ref>

===India===
In [[India]], webtoons have grown into popularity.<ref name="kk">{{cite news |last1=Shete|first1=Yugandhara|title=India's first comic app, Kross Komics gets 200k downloads in just six weeks|url=http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/indias-first-comic-app-kross-komics-gets-200k-downloads-in-just-six-weeks|date=February 3, 2020 |work=Animation Xpress}}</ref> With the global launch of [[Line Webtoon|LINE Webtoon]] by [[Naver Corporation|NAVER Corporation]] in 2014, it became the first go to app that introduced webtoons in India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=[LINE] LINE Webtoon Released First on Android, Offers Free Comic Content on Smartphones {{!}} LINE Corporation {{!}} News |url=https://linecorp.com/en/pr/news/en/2014/773 |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=LINE Corporation}}</ref> Kross Komics launched the first dedicated Indian webtoon portal in 2020 targeting domestic audience and offering 40 translated South Korean titles in English, [[Hindi]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]]. It is also planning to introduce content from the Chinese and Japanese markets.<ref name="kk"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Yugandhara Shete|date=2020-12-07|title=Kross Komics completes its first successful year in the industry|url=https://www.animationxpress.com/comics/kross-komics-completes-its-first-successful-year-in-the-industry/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=AnimationXpress|language=en-US}}</ref> After its official mobile app release on 7 December 2019, it was downloaded over 200,000 times on Google Play.<ref name="kk"/> As of July 2021, it registered 1.1 million monthly active uses and 3.5 million app downloads.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dutta Yadav|first=Medha|date=18 July 2021|title=K-omics revolution: Korea's Kross Komics launches first-of-its-kind webtoon app with content in English, Hindi and Telugu|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2021/jul/18/k-omics-revolutionkoreas-kross-komics-launches-first-of-its-kind-webtoon-appwith-content-in-english-hindi-and-telugu-2330928.html|access-date=22 July 2021|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> Webtoon dramatization further helped increase readership.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title=Netflix Korean drama series 'Business Proposal' increases Kross Komics' readership by 20 per cent |url=https://www.animationxpress.com/digital-media/netflix-korean-drama-series-business-proposal-increases-kross-komics-readership-by-20-per-cent/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=AnimationXpress |language=en-US}}</ref> 

Kross Komics, founded in May 2019, is headquartered in [[Seoul]] with additional offices in [[Mumbai]] and [[Los Angeles]]. It mainly targets the 15-24 age group, especially females, and supports both Korean and Indian webtoon content creators.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-06-17|title=Webtoon app Kross Komics crosses 1 million monthly active users|url=https://www.animationxpress.com/latest-news/webtoon-app-kross-komics-crosses-1-million-monthly-active-users/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=AnimationXpress|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=|date=2021-06-29|title=After K-Pop and K-Drama, Korean webtoons engage Indian Gen-Z|url=https://english.lokmat.com/lifestyle/after-k-pop-and-k-drama-korean-webtoons-engage-indian-gen-z/|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Lokmat English|language=en}}</ref> Popularity of digital comics is now encouraging Indian publishers such as Graphic India to launch their own service called Toonsutra in the market.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Friendship Day 2021: Best Korean webtoons to binge read with your friends|url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/weekend/friendship-day-2021-best-korean-webtoons-to-binge-watch-with-your-friends|access-date=2021-08-01|website=Free Press Journal|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Paul|first=Mathures|date=23 March 2021|title=Graphic India launches webtoon comics platform 'Toonsutra'|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/science-tech/graphic-india-launches-webtoon-comics-platform-toonsutra/cid/1810311|access-date=2021-08-01|website=Telegraph India}}</ref> In 2021, [[Kakao Entertainment]] was planning to enter the Indian market after its acquisition of Kross Komics in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Park|first=Eun-jee|date=18 July 2021|title=Naver takes on the world, market by market|url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/07/18/business/tech/Naver-Kakao-international-expansion/20210718070101030.html|access-date=2021-08-04|website=Korea JoongAng Daily|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-09 |title=Kross Komic's best-selling webtoon – A Business Proposal to be remade into a K-drama; expected to air in early 2022 |url=https://boldoutline.in/kross-komics-best-selling-webtoon-a-business-proposal-to-be-remade-into-a-k-drama-expected-to-air-in-early-2022.html |access-date=2021-08-09 |website=Bold |language=en-US}}</ref> From Q3 2022, Kakao Entertainment will provide webtoon content and customer support for Kross Komics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joshi |first=Dhruvi |date=2022-06-07 |title=Kross Comics and Kross Pictures' to grow in India and produce a lot more K-webtoons based K-dramas: co-founder Hyunwoo Thomas Kim |url=https://www.animationxpress.com/comics/kross-comics-and-kross-pictures-to-grow-in-india-and-produce-a-lot-more-k-dramas-based-on-k-webtoons-co-founder-hyunwoo-thomas-kim/ |access-date=2022-06-07 |website=AnimationXpress |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Southeast Asia===
[[Indonesia]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Thailand]] have become big markets for the webtoon industry with both Naver (under WEBTOON) and Comico offering both original webtoons and fully translated titles. Some webtoons made in Indonesia and Thailand, such as ''Eggnoid'' and ''Teen Mom'', have even been translated and published outside the countries. However, webtoons in Sri Lanka are mostly from the Sinhalese-dubbed Korean webtoons. Vietnam launched its first webtoon portal, Vinatoon, which offers translated titles from Daum Webtoon and Mr. Blue with the intention of opening up another market.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/launching-first-digital-cartoon-vietnam-040000378.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403074155/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/launching-first-digital-cartoon-vietnam-040000378.html |archive-date=2018-04-03 |title=Launching the first digital cartoon service in Vietnam, Vinatoon}}</ref>

=== Western countries ===
Many webtoon publishers have had success in penetrating markets outside of Asia with the biggest successes being the United States and other English speaking countries.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/|title=Yonhap News Agency|website=Yonhap News Agency}}</ref> 

[[Lezhin Comics]], [[Toomics]], [[Manta (platform)|Manta]], and [[Webtoon (platform)|WEBTOON]] are the only big publishers who translate their own titles rather than licensing them out. WEBTOON even offers the ability for fan translations to be offered in different languages. 

TopToon's TopToonPlus service, launched in July 2021, was another global launch by a Korean webtoon company for their global fans. In its first month of service, it gained over 200,000 subscribers.<ref name="Cision">{{cite news |date=2021-08-13 |title=Toptoon Global to being services for English-speaking countries in full swing as the members surpass 200,000 in number |publisher=[[PRNewswire]] |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toptoon-global-to-begin-services-for-english-speaking-countries-in-full-swing-as-the-members-surpass-200-000-in-number-301354903.html}}</ref> 
In 2023, the global webtoon service previously known as TopToonPlus was rebranded as DayComics, operating under the domain [https://daycomics.com daycomics.com]. The platform continues to provide translated TopToon titles for international readers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Anime-Planet and DayComics Announce Strategic Partnership |url=https://animecorner.me/anime-planet-and-day-comics-announce-strategic-partnership/ |website=Anime Corner |date=2023-07-21 |access-date=2025-05-29}}</ref>

[[Spottoon]] and [[Tappytoon]] offer translated licensed works from various publishers including KToon, Bomtoon, Foxtoon, and many more. [[Delitoon]] provides French translations of licensed works, mostly Korean titles.

In the USA, Germany, and France, printoonized comics (a portmanteau of "print" and "webtoon") are completely restructured to achieve dynamic storytelling akin to the best action manga, moving away from the native vertical scrolling narration of webtoons. Thanks to printoonization, the comic Solo Leveling has sold over 900,000 copies of its first six volumes in France.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2022/09/19/fantasy-chasseurs-et-quetes-cruelles-solo-leveling-le-webtoon-sud-coreen-parmi-les-bd-les-plus-populaires-en-france_6142315_4408996.html| title=« Solo Leveling », le webtoon sud-coréen parmi les BD les plus populaires en France | language=fr | trans-title=“Solo Leveling”, the South Korean webtoon among the most popular comics in France | website=www.lemonde.fr | first=Pauline | last=Croquet | date=2022-09-19}}</ref>

Besides just the consumption of translated works, there has also been a rise in the creation of original non-Asian webtoons thanks in part to sites like [[Tapas (syndicate)|Tapas]] and the aforementioned WEBTOON offering the ability for anyone to submit their own work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/22/tapas-media/|title=Tapas Media aims to turn digital comics into the next big entertainment franchise|date=22 March 2018 }}</ref>

To better serve the US market and increase the intellectual property value chain, [[Kakao Entertainment]] in 2022 merged with [[Radish Media]] and the aforementioned Tapas to form a single entity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lim |first=Chang-won |date=2022-05-19 |title=Kakao Entertainment merges two American subsidiaries to compete with domestic rival |url=https://www.ajudaily.com/view/20220519151332325 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Aju Business Daily}}</ref>

==Media franchise==
{{See also|:Category:Works based on South Korean webtoons}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Comics}}
* [[Webcomic]]
* [[Web novels in South Korea]]
* [[Webtoon (platform)]]
* [[Web fiction]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Comics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Comics formats]]
[[Category:Electronic publishing]]
[[Category:Webtoons| ]]
[[Category:South Korean manhwa]]