[Alpha Biz= Reporter Kim Jisun] Naver Webtoon announced on the 29th that the number of Korean webtoon exports through its platform last year increased 38 times compared to 2014. This was revealed as part of the 2023 'Webtoon With' infographic, which highlighted the achievements of creator-platform collaboration, noting that Korean webtoons accounted for 47% of its international publications.
According to data submitted by Naver Webtoon's parent company, Webtoon Entertainment, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), out of 1,740 original webtoons offered in Japanese (as of December 2023), 577 were local works. Similarly, out of 1,113 webtoons offered in English, 458 were local creations. The remaining content was imported from various countries, with most of it being Korean webtoons, although some cross-border content, like Japanese works translated into English or Taiwanese works into Japanese, was also included.
Since its global expansion in 2014, Naver Webtoon has emphasized its integrated support for localization efforts, including translation, design, and marketing, to help its works succeed abroad.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
