A promotional poster about the webtoon storyboards competition organized by the Intellectual Property Office of Thailand (Image provided by Kakao Entertainment)
SEOUL, Mar. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Thailand is turning its attention to the burgeoning world of webtoons, a digital comic format that has gained significant traction globally.
In an initiative led by the Thai government, the Department of Intellectual Property, in collaboration with Kakao Entertainment Thailand and KP Comics Studio, has launched the “T-Toon Project.”
This webtoon story contest marks a significant move to foster local creative talent and narrative innovation within the country.
The contest, which began accepting project proposals on February 15, is set to announce ten finalists on May 2. These finalists will then submit five-episode storyboards, based on which the winners will be determined in June.
Storyboards, or ‘contis,’ play a crucial role in webtoon production, outlining characters, settings, and plot progressions, essentially serving as scripts for the digital comics.
The grand prize winner will receive 150,000 baht (approximately 5.5 million won), with the first and second runners-up awarded 100,000 baht and 70,000 baht, respectively.
The Department of Intellectual Property aims to transform all awarded entries into webtoons, which will be serialized on the Kakao Webtoon platform in Thailand.
A notable aspect of this contest is its open genre policy, encouraging submissions that reflect Thai culture, customs, or lifestyle, regardless of the story’s genre.
This criterion underscores a desire to infuse local narratives with the universal appeal of webtoons, fostering a unique Thai contribution to the global webtoon landscape.
This initiative signifies a shift from the popularity of translated Korean webtoons in Thailand to the creation of local content that resonates with Thai sensibilities and cultural nuances.
Thailand, a key hub for the Korean Wave in Southeast Asia, has shown a profound receptivity to various Korean cultural exports, including webtoons.
According to data from the Korea Creative Content Agency, Korean content accounts for 47% of all comic consumption in Thailand, highlighting the significant impact of Korean webtoons in the region.
The high regular readership and paid subscription rates further attest to the popularity of these digital comics among Thai audiences.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
