By Choi Jin-woo

The domestic webtoon industry in 2022 raked in a record-high KRW 1.83 trillion in sales.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency on Jan. 18 released the results of a study on the sector and webtoonists last year saying webtoon sales in 2022 rose 16.8% from 2021 to post their fifth consecutive year of growth since the research was launched in 2018.

Sales by webtoon platforms in 2022 reached KRW 1.13 trillion, up 36.8% from the year before, to break the KRW 1 trillion mark for the first time.

The most pressing forms of support to get domestic webtoon platforms and agencies to go global were assistance for interpretation and translation (53.9%); a network with buyers and distributors overseas (46.7%); and foreign market research and information on the sector (41.8%); and training and support for marketing staff specializing in overseas business (38.2%).

On their willingness to use artificial intelligence (AI) when making webtoons, 41.2% of the surveyed businesses said they had such an intent, 49.7% were not thinking about it yet and 9.1% no intent. Among webtoonists, just 36.1% said they would use AI.

The study was conducted online and through in-person interviews with 166 webtoon companies and 800 webtoonists.

"We will shape the cartoon and webtoon industry into a next-generation national strategic sector to lead K-content following K-pop and games," Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In Chon said. "Based on the results of this survey and a meeting on the sector in November last year, we will find the necessary projects and improve the system so that Korea leads the global cartoon and webtoon industry."

paramt@korea.kr