Korea to host first World Webtoon Festival this month

Korea's first global Webtoon Festival and Awards will take place in Seoul from Sept. 26-29, featuring pop-up stores, immersive experiences, and international award nominations aimed at promoting the webtoon industry.

Kakao Webtoon ″To help you understand″ [KAKAO WEBTOON]

Korea will hold its first global webtoon festival and awards ceremony later this month. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Sunday that the 2024 World Webtoon Festival will take place from Sept. 26 to 29 in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul.

On the first day of the festival, the ministry will hold the 2024 World Webtoon Awards. Both the festival and awards aim to celebrate the growing global popularity of webtoons and the expansion of webtoons’ intellectual property (IP) into other media such as dramas, films and games.

Breaking from the traditional format of holding events in convention centers, the Culture Ministry said the festival will feature pop-up stores scattered throughout Seongsu-dong, allowing visitors to purchase and experience webtoon-related products. The event's main hub will be at S-Factory, with additional spaces designated for specialized content in nearby buildings. These venues will operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the festival.

The pop-up stores will offer exclusive exhibits and merchandise from major webtoon studios such as Daon Creative, Big Picture Team and StoryPunch, alongside platforms like Naver Webtoon and Kakao Entertainment. Immersive experiences like AI-generated caricatures and augmented reality photocards will also be available. Visitors can also enjoy interactive events, including live drawing shows, talks with webtoon artists and a “Photoism” experience tied to popular webtoons.

To manage crowd flow and ensure a smooth experience, priority entry will be given to preregistered visitors, with general admission also available. Details on preregistration and event information can be found on the official festival website (wefe.kr), which will go live on Sept. 10, with registration opening Sept. 12.

The awards ceremony, set for Sept. 26 at S-Factory, will honor outstanding works in the webtoon industry. Nominations were collected through an international submission process that began in June, with 104 entries reviewed by a panel of 10 judges led by veteran webtoon artist Lee Hyun-se. The panel selected 10 main award winners and three special award recipients, with the grand prize and chairman's award to be announced at the ceremony.

The Culture Ministry emphasized the importance of the event in promoting Korea’s status as the birthplace of webtoons and elevating the pride of industry professionals.

“This event is designed to showcase exceptional webtoon works from around the world and establish the awards as a global event where all webtoon professionals can participate,” Yoon Yang-soo, director-general of the Culture Ministry's Content Policy Bureau, said, adding that the festival would not only entertain fans, but also create economic opportunities by facilitating business transactions and investments in the webtoon industry.

“We aim to make this event a global gathering for webtoon fans and industry professionals, enhancing the economic value of webtoons through deals and contracts.”

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]