Lezhin Entertainment, an operator of webtoon (online comics) services in Korea, said Monday that it launched its U.S. operations in late December.

Having completed the work to tailor its platform -- dubbed Lezhin Comics -- for the U.S. readers, including installation of payment systems and language translation, the Korean webtoon services operator will also set up a U.S. branch this year, which will be in charge of leading the entire businesses in the U.S., one of the world’s largest comics markets.

Lezhin will initially introduce 12 digital comics by Korean artists in various genres, such as fantasy, mystery, comedy, action and romance.

Among the pieces are fantasy-comedy series 4 Cut Hero, mystery Matchstick 20, and romantic webtoon My Secret Brothers.

It plans to increase the number of webtoon series available in the U.S. market up to 40 this year.

The firm said it is pinning high hopes on its business in the U.S. which has a great number of comics fans and well-established subscription systems for entertainment content.

“Lezhin will not only serve as an export channel for Korean webtoons but also become a leading webtoon services platform in the U.S. market,” Lezhin Entertainment chief executive Han Hee-sung said.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)