Issue Focus

Naver Webtoon announced it generated approximately 4.35 trillion won in economic impact for South Korea last year. This information comes from the "2023 Contribution to South Korea's Creative Ecosystem" report, conducted by Seoul National University's Professor Yoo Byung-joon and Chungnam National University's Professor Lee Jae-hwan, with support from Naver Webtoon.
More than half of this economic impact, 2.41 trillion won, stemmed from the global expansion of Korean content through the Naver Webtoon platform. Additionally, the platform spurred job creation for an estimated 18,876 individuals over the same period.
The study also highlighted the significant social benefits derived from Naver Webtoon's international reach. Results showed that for each additional language service introduced by Webtoon Entertainment, 26.84 new amateur platform "Best Challenge" works emerged. Moreover, webtoons experienced a slower decline in popularity when entering international markets. Professor Yoo noted that Naver Webtoon's growth in global markets not only strengthens the domestic creative ecosystem but also positively impacts the broader Korean economy.