How China fell in love with Korean webtoons, and why the format’s future is ‘very bright’ for the rest of the world
- Webtoons – comics made for mobile devices – have exploded in popularity, and screen adaptations of them have become hit movies and shows in China
- Partnerships with Chinese video services like Bilibili are increasing, and Korean platforms’ plans to expand beyond Asia bode well for the industry going forward
Moon Man, a sci-fi comedy based on Korean artist Cho Seok’s 2016 webtoon Moon You, raked in US$460 million worldwide after its release in July 2022, and was the second-highest-grossing film that year at the Chinese box office, after the jingoistic war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin II.
Moon Man also marked the first time a Korean webtoon series had been adapted for a Chinese movie.
Webtoons are digital comics, usually consisting of serialised stories doled out in short episodes, designed to be scrolled through on mobile devices.
Since emerging almost two decades ago in South Korea, the genre has grown rapidly thanks in part to technology companies such as Naver and Kakao, who created platforms for the format.
Despite strained relations between China and South Korea, stemming from the latter’s 2016 decision to deploy a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system, “there is no border when users are accessing content,” according to Kim Jung-hwan, an assistant professor of transdisciplinary studies on human ICT at Pukyong National University in Busan, in southern South Korea.
“I think Cho’s content had a point that appealed to the Chinese audience and led to them having a natural connection [with the movie],” Kim adds.