Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea’s most popular mobile messenger Kakao Talk, said Monday that it has teamed up with a Chinese conglomerate to bring its online webtoons to the rapidly-growing market. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea’s most popular mobile messenger Kakao Talk, said Monday that it has teamed up with a Chinese conglomerate to bring its online webtoons to the rapidly-growing market.
Under the deal with Huace Group, one of China’s leading entertainment groups, five of Kakao’s Daum Webtoon titles will be reproduced into films, TV dramas or web dramas in China, according to Kakao.
Those include Girl in the Mirror, Help! Breakup Ghost, Just One Shot, Cashero and My Boss Dies Once a Day, all of which have been big hits in South Korea. Another webtoon will be decided on soon.
Huace is a Chinese media group that produces more than 1,000 TV dramas a year in China alone. It also has a movie production arm, Huace Film.
Last year, Huace launched a joint venture with South Korean film investor-distributor Next Entertainment World (NEW).
“Leveraging the best of our capabilities and infrastructure, we are confident that we can bring out the utmost value from each of the five titles,” Jon Chiew, head of global business at Huace Film was quoted as saying. “As a leader in the field of cultural exchange, we will continue to discover and introduce more valuable content to the Chinese viewers.”
Iggy Park, chief of Kakao’s Daum Webtoon team, also said, “It is a great pleasure to help our authors reach out to their current and potential fans in China through the screens.”
He added it represents a “meaningful beginning” of the company’s efforts to bring webtoon contents to the global market.
Daum Webtoon has produced some 500 official titles, 50 of which are already available in the U.S. and China.
(Yonhap)
