A beginner’s guide to Korean webtoons

In 2004, Naver launched Naver Webtoon and gave digital comics a format built for the screen: a single strip you scroll straight down, easy to read on a phone. It was a clean break from print comics, and it reshaped how Korea reads.

Where webtoons came from

Webtoons grew out of the late 1990s, when amateur artists started posting online comics during the Asian Financial Crisis. What began as personal, DIY strips turned into full narratives from professionals and hobbyists alike, mixing genres and art styles freely.

By 2020 the industry's combined sales passed one trillion won, up more than 64% in a year. That scale turned webtoons into a core part of Korean storytelling, and a pipeline for K-dramas, films, musicals and games.

The main platforms

Naver Webtoon

Launched in 2004, it's one of the largest platforms, with action, romance, fantasy and drama, and hits like "Tower of God" and "Yumi's Cells." You can read on the web or the app, most of it free with ads. Pay a little and you unlock new episodes early.

Kakao Webtoon

It started as Daum Webtoon in 2003 and was rebranded to Kakao Webtoon in 2021 as it pushed overseas, into Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia. Same freemium idea: most series are free, with paid early access if you can't wait.

How to read them

Nearly every platform runs on a freemium model, a big free library with the option to pay ahead for the newest chapters. Many also translate widely: Naver Webtoon alone publishes in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish and French, which is a big reason webtoons travel so well.

From screen to everything else

Webtoons feed the rest of Korean pop culture. "Tower of God" became an animated series; "Sweet Home" became a live-action Netflix drama. Those adaptations send new readers back to the source, and the cycle repeats. If you've followed Korean shows to their shooting locations, our K-drama filming locations guide pairs well with this.

Getting started

For a first read, Naver Webtoon is the easy entry point: a huge library, a simple app, and plenty in English. Browse a few genres, follow whatever hooks you, and go from there. Most of it costs nothing to start.

For more on modern Korean culture, explore our K-pop, K-drama and film hub.