Naver Webtoon, South Korea’s leading webtoon provider, presents its webtoon series during New York Comic Con held in New York on Oct. 11, 2022, in this photo provided by the company.
SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean online webtoon service providers recently eased their strict criteria, releasing a wider variety of adult webtoons after sticking to wholesome comics.
The number of adult web comics registered on Naver Webtoon stood at 71, of which 16 are currently published in a series, and the share of adults webtoons that are erotic rather than violent has increased, according to industry sources.
When it comes to Kakao Webtoon, the total number of adult webtoons ranked within top 100 web cartoons in eight genres stood at 59 as of Tuesday.
As such, major webtoon operators are releasing an increasing number of adult web comics based on consideration of the age of their target readers and consumers.
People in their 20s have the highest webtoon usage rate of any age group. In addition, those in their 20s and 30s account for the largest share among those who are likely to pay for comics.
Small and medium-sized platforms such as Lezhin Comics and Toptoon, in which the share of adult web comics is high, are solidifying their presence, closely chasing major webtoon publishers such as Naver Webtoon, Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon.
However, major platforms still target all age groups, including teenagers, so they are hesitant to promote adult webtoons prominently.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
