South Korea strengthens its spot as the world’s webtoon capital as creators are now using artificial intelligence (AI).
Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) have revealed the findings of the ‘2023 Webtoon Survey,’ about the industry’s global growth and future. The survey revealed a remarkable 16.8% growth in total sales within the domestic webtoon industry, amounting to KRW 1.829 trillion in 2022 alone. Allied Market Research forecasts a staggering increase in the global webtoon industry from $3.7 billion in 2021 to a staggering $56.1 billion by 2030.
AI technologies help improve production efficiency and augment intellectual property (IP) value creation within the webtoon world. Leading names including Kakao and Naver are heavily investing in AI tools ranging from creative support and animation to predictive analytics.
Naver Webtoon has introduced Webtoon AI Painter that is an automatic coloring service for streamlining manual coloring process. Their upcoming webtoon AI editor is capable of character extraction from images. Another AI tool in Naver’s pipeline will be able to mimic artists’ painting styles. For augmenting the reader experience, Naver’s Toon Filter service is capable of transforming selfies into wonderful webtoon drawings.
Similarly, Kakao Entertainment is working on infusing AI into its webtoon repertoire. By leveraging AI technologies, the platform aims to redefine the webtoon landscape, offering improved experiences to readers while providing better value for creators.
With Korea’s webtoon industry is stepping innovation, the incorporation of AI is sure to reshape storytelling paradigms. This will further propel Korean webtoons to greater heights on the global level.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.