Korean webcomics industry showcases global reach at historic Angouleme festival
Korea's digital comics powerhouses have made their presence felt in Angouleme, known as France's comics capital, as the city hosted its 51st International Comics Festival. The annual gathering, which stands as Europe's premier celebration of the ninth art since 1974, wrapped up its four-day run on Sunday.
Building on the festival's momentum, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON), a state organization affiliated with Bucheon city, rolled out "The Revival of Korean Comics" (Le renouveau de la BD coreenne) Jan. 30 to introduce Korean web comics and their multimedia adaptations to European audiences, the agency said Sunday. Set up in partnership with the International Comics and Image Center and the city of Angouleme, the showcase runs through Aug. 31.
The exhibition spotlights seven webtoons that have leaped from screens to global success. "Solo Leveling," which evolved from a web novel to a digital comic before landing as a Japanese anime, takes center stage. Netflix adaptations get their due, with "Itaewon Class," "Hellbound," "D.P.," "Sweet Home" and "All of Us Are Dead" demonstrating Korean content's global reach. "Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born," behind last year's hit drama, rounds out the lineup.
Visitors can see how these stories have shape-shifted across media, with side-by-side comparisons of original webtoons and their screen adaptations. Heavy hitters in the Korean comics scene, including "Jeongnyeon" creator Na Mon and "All of Us Are Dead" creator Joo Dong-geun, have dropped by to connect with fans.
Meanwhile, the Korea Creative Content Agency, a state-run agency charged with promoting creative industries, hosted a Korea-themed collective exhibition at the International Comics Festival. Featuring eight Korean publishers, the lineup dipped into niche territory, presenting web novel adaptations like the gothic fantasy, "How to Survive as a Maid in a Horror Game" and the military thriller, "God of Blackfield."
Global comics giant Webtoon, the international arm of Korea's Naver Webtoon, marked its third consecutive Angouleme appearance with a three-day production workshop for aspiring cartoonists, starting Jan. 30. The platform's involvement built on its 2023 festival debut, which featured French creator Tacmela discussing the webtoon creation process.
Though there were no Korean works nominated at this year's festival, they have been making inroads. Park Yoon-sun clinched the top prize in children's category in 2023, marking Korea's first win since Ancco's "Bad Friends" in 2017. Korean webcomics have also gained recognition of late, with Choi Gyu-seok's "The Awl" and Ma Young-sin's "Moms" landing on shortlists in 2023 and 2024.
