K-Webtoons Expand Corporate Value Through Strategic Alliances with Content Companies

As the influence of K-webtoons continues to grow in the global content market, both domestic and international webtoon companies are forming strategic alliances that combine platform capabilities with intellectual property (IP) competitiveness. Notable examples include collaborations between Webtoon Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company, as well as Suseong Webtoon and Amazon Japan.

According to industry sources on August 14, Webtoon Entertainment, the U.S. headquarters of Naver Webtoon, has signed a multi-year global content partnership with The Walt Disney Company. Through this collaboration, approximately 100 IPs-including Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Studios, and 20th Century Studios-will be adapted and released as vertically-scrolling webtoons.

In the second quarter of this year, Webtoon Entertainment reported revenue of $348.3 million, marking an 8.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Overnight on the New York Stock Exchange, Webtoon Entertainment’s share price surged by 81.2% compared to the previous trading day.

Suseong Webtoon is currently supplying K-webtoons to Amazon Fliptoon, the digital content distribution platform of Amazon Japan. Nineteen titles are currently being serviced, including the popular series “I Became the Villainess, but I Picked Up the Male Lead,” which recorded 3 million views on Kakao Page in Korea. Given that 77% of global comic app revenue is generated in Japan, Suseong Webtoon plans to use Japan as a key base and expand collaborations with global platforms.

In January of this year, Suseong Webtoon acquired the webtoon production company Terrapin through its subsidiary Toomics Global. Terrapin owns popular IPs such as “I Became the Madman of the Count’s Family.” Toomics boasts more than 60 million members worldwide and offers services in 11 languages, with over 80% of its revenue generated overseas. Suseong Webtoon intends to combine Toomics’ distribution network with Terrapin’s production capabilities to strengthen its presence in major markets such as North America, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Yoo Younghak, CEO of Suseong Webtoon, stated, “To ensure that K-webtoons can grow stably in the global market, we plan to strengthen collaborations with global platforms, including Amazon Japan, while also pursuing localization strategies.”

Experts analyze that platforms provide stable distribution channels, while IP enhances content competitiveness. Therefore, the combination of these two elements is seen as a key factor in expanding into the global market. They anticipate that such strategic alliances will become even more prevalent in the future as companies seek to enhance their corporate value.