K-webtoon enters Indian market

The Korea Webtoon Industry Association partnered with Google Play and India-based AI startup Dashtoon in Bengaluru on the 13th to enter the Indian market. [Courtesy of Google Play]

The Korea Webtoon Industry Association (KWIA) partnered with Google Play and Indian AI startup Dashtoon in Bengaluru, India, on Tuesday.

This collaboration is expected to enable South Korean webtoon creators to easily produce webtoons using Dashtoon’s AI creation tool, “Dashtoon Studio,” and enter the Indian market, which has a population of 1.4 billion, via Google Play.

Dashtoon’s AI creation tool, ‘Dashtoon Studio’.

The KWIA, Google Play, and Dashtoon signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday, which industry observers anticipate will pave the way for Korean webtoons to reach the global market.

“We are excited to be able to introduce outstanding Korean webtoons to the Indian market, which has high growth potential,” KWIA Chairman Seo Bum-gang said. “We will continue to collaborate with various global companies to promote the works of Korean webtoon creators, which are exceptionally creative, to audiences worldwide.”

Dashtoon Chief Operating Officer Lalith Gudipati added, “Korean webtoons are creative and of high quality, and we believe they will be well-received by Indian consumers. We will work with the KWIA to help Korean content reach the global stage.”

Managing Director of Google Play Asia-Pacific Partnerships Paula Wang, also said, “We are proud to contribute to bringing excellent Korean webtoon content to overseas markets, and we will continue to provide full support for the continued development and growth of Korean webtoons.”

Dashtoon is an Indian startup founded in 2022 and is headquartered in San Francisco, the United States. The company’s Dashtoon Studio allows users to create webtoons in a free and flexible way, generating similar character images when a comic character is uploaded and creating webtoon characters from text input. It also allows easy modifications of backgrounds and costumes and offers AI creation tools as well as features for online publishing.

Notably, Dashtoon was selected as the “Funniest App - Webtoons and Comics” in Google Play’s “Winners of the Year 2023” in India, a clear indication of its popularity.