NAVER Webtoon

Naver Webtoon began on July 17, 2004, initially as a paid service for published comics rather than webtoons, and no verifiable records show an independent Naver Webtoon service before December 2005. A major reorganization in February 2006 shifted its focus to webtoons. It gained ground as Daum Webtoon and Yahoo Cartoon World weakened amid the decline of their parent portals, and Naver’s rise as Korea’s top portal helped Naver Webtoon become the country’s leading comics serialization platform. Its main competitor is Kakao Webtoon, but Naver Webtoon has maintained a dominant position through a large roster of authors, diverse genres, high serialization volume, and strong publication rates. It has also collaborated with the Korea Creative Content Agency and local governments and used TV advertising featuring webtoon characters and authors. Organizationally, it evolved from an internal “cell” into a company-in-company in February 2015, was spun off as Naver Webtoon Co., Ltd. in May 2017, and merged with Webtoon Entertainment Korea in August 2020. Despite criticism from 2015–2016 over declining new-work quality and a surge in 19+ and illicit content, Naver Webtoon held over 54% of the webtoon market and more than 35 million monthly users by 2017. In recent years, web novel adaptations have fueled new popularity while raising concerns about adaptation quality and artist skill.