Korean webtoons, also known as K-Comics, are making significant inroads in Southeast Asia. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – Korean webtoons, also known as K-Comics, are making significant inroads in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, where they are rapidly gaining popularity among local readers.
A recent report from the Korea Creative Content Agency reveals that nearly half of all comics read in Thailand are Korean, boasting an average usage rate of 47%.
This figure places Thailand at the top among the nine countries surveyed, including the United States, France, China, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking the highest rate of Korean comic readership.
In contrast, Japan, known for its strong domestic manga industry, recorded the lowest Korean comic readership rate at 19.5%. The United States, where Marvel and DC comics dominate, showed a 35.6% rate, while France, with its own comics culture, stood at 23.7%. The average rate across all nine countries was 35.5%.
The global expansion and popularity of webtoons have often been highlighted in traditional comic powerhouses like Japan and France and in the IP-expansive U.S. market.
However, the quiet yet positive reception in key Southeast Asian countries, particularly in Thailand, underscores the broadening appeal of K-Comics.
The Southeast Asian market not only shows a high readership rate for Korean comics but also high regular readership and paid subscription rates. In Vietnam, 85.4% of respondents reported regularly reading Korean comics, with Thailand closely following at 82.9%.
Furthermore, a significant portion of readers in Indonesia (67.5%), Vietnam (60.1%), and Thailand (58.3%) were willing to pay for Korean comic content, with an overall average of 50.7% across all respondents.
Korean platforms have been focusing on the Southeast Asian market for years, with notable activities in Thailand, a leading content market in the region.
Solo Leveling (Image courtesy of Kakao Entertainment)
Naver Webtoon has been operating its Thai service, LINE Webtoon, since November 2014 and opened its first official webtoon merchandise pop-up store in Bangkok last month, attracting over 10,000 visitors.
According to data analytics firm Data.ai, LINE Webtoon ranked first in both revenue and monthly active users (MAU) among webtoon platforms in Thailand as of January of this year.
Kakao Webtoon entered the Thai market in 2021 and has actively participated in various events, including sponsoring Thailand Comic Con, one of Southeast Asia’s largest cultural events, and setting up a booth at last year’s Thailand K-Fair.
Korean webtoons are also slated for drama adaptations in Thailand, with a number of titles in the pipeline, further solidifying the presence and influence of K-Comics in the region.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
