Discussing Improvement Plans for Lost Early Webtoons...

The National Library of Korea announced on the 30th that it has published Issue Paper No. 15 of the "National Library of Korea Issue Paper." It analyzes the limitations in the process of collecting webtoons with cultural resource value and proposes improvement measures.

The biggest difficulty in depositing webtoons is securing timeliness. Although webtoons hold high value as cultural resources, discussions on their collection and preservation are insufficient, the National Library of Korea points out. In fact, early webtoons serialized on "Yahoo Korea" were lost following the closure of the site.

[Photo by National Library of Korea]

The National Library of Korea analyzed various issues and proposed improvement measures including ▲ establishing a cooperative system among webtoon-related organizations and institutions ▲ identifying the status of uncollected materials ▲ and raising awareness among stakeholders about the ultimate purpose of collection.

Kim Kyung-nam, Director of Planning at the National Library of Korea, stated, "For webtoons, which are easily lost if not collected in a timely manner, national-level collection and preservation are even more important," and added, "We hope that the publication of this 'Issue Paper' will activate constructive discussions on this matter."

The "National Library of Korea Issue Paper" online publication can be accessed through the menu on the National Library of Korea website.