Government Launches Major Crackdown on Illegal Manhwa and Webtoon Sites

Strengthening Public-Private Cooperation and Intensifying Crackdown

The government is taking strong measures against the surge of illegal comic and webtoon sites. It will strengthen public-private cooperation and launch intensive crackdowns.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency announced on the 12th that they will closely cooperate with private associations in the webtoon sector, platform companies, and webtoon artists to crack down on illegal site operators and heavy uploaders.

The Copyright Protection Agency will take measures such as intensive monitoring of illegal sites, blocking access, and broadcasting warning notices based on reports received through the 'COPY112' reporting channel.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will conduct related investigations to identify criminals. An official stated, "We plan to award commendations and prizes to key informants and platform companies that provide clues to identify suspects involved in illegal distribution."

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the domestic illegal webtoon distribution market size is approximately 721.5 billion KRW (as of 2022), and the usage rate of illegally copied webtoon content is 20.4% (as of 2023).