The British magazine Economist on July 30 posted the article "Webtoons are South Korea's latest export hit." (Screen capture from Economist)

By Elias Molina and Yoon Hee Young

The British weekly Economist has highlighted the history and successful cases of the Korean cultural export webtoons. 

The magazine on July 30 released the article "Webtoons are South Korea's latest export hit."

"Webtoons began life in the early 2000s when Naver and Daum, the country's biggest search engines, hired cartoon artists to design online comic strips," the story said. "Over the past decade the market has grown tenfold, making webtoons a vital source of income for the internet companies."

"They have begun to attain a degree of influence over global culture that belies their humble origins."

The advantage of webtoons over traditional print comics, the article said, is the opportunity for interaction through audiovisual effects including animation, sound and background music.

Another advantage mentioned was how webtoons allow online interaction between the webtoonist and his or her readers.

The Economist introduced cases of webtoons turned into dramas, saying, "'Sweet Home,' a horror webtoon about a man surviving a virus that turns humans into monsters, was made into a drama last year and became the most-watched show on Netflix in eleven countries."

It also mentioned other webtoons that gained popularity after being made into dramas, including "Itaewon Class" and "Cheese in the Trap."

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Nov. 3 last year released Korean webtoon-themed masks to mark Comics Day. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

eliasmolina@korea.kr