Korea Joongang Daily
Korea JoongAng Daily

Korean Gen Z embraces freelance artists for tailored illustrations, unique storytelling experiences

Fans of webtoons, animation or games don't just consume content created by official artists and developers. They also pay freelance artists to create custom content just for them.

2026-04-09

Webtoon platform Manta to add manga to its content catalog

Global webtoon platform Manta is set to add manga to its catalog, according to its parent company Ridi on Wednesday, in order to broaden its offerings and deepen user engagement.

2026-04-08

Commemorative postage stamp honoring esports legend Faker to be released in October

A commemorative postage stamp honoring the esports legend Lee Sang-hyeok, known as Faker, will be released in October, the Korea Post announced on Monday.

2026-04-07

Lotte World levels up with permanent MapleStory theme island

Fans of MapleStory rejoice — your favorite game has come to life at Lotte World theme park. Lotte World has unveiled a permanent MapleStory-themed area, much to the delight of fans of the popular game.

2026-04-03

Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert sells 2 million copies on day of release

Pearl Abyss, a Korean game developer, sold more than 2 million copies of its new game Crimson Desert on its release on Friday, marking the first time a Korean packaged game has sold 2 million copies on the day of release.

2026-03-22

Webtoon Entertainment touts new focus on creators as it broadens base to include video, animation and games

Webtoon Entertainment is shifting its strategy from focusing on hit titles to building a creator-centered system that expands stories into a wider realm of intellectual property (IP) including video, animation and games.

2026-03-17

Generative AI draws positive praise at KCA forum

Webtoon artist Choi Jin-kyu praised the use of generative AI to speed up comic production, saying the technology helps creators “focus on the substantive work” of making art, at a forum hosted by the Korea Cartoonists Association (KCA) on Friday.

2026-03-16

Seventeen's DK featured in new song from 'Return of the Blossoming Blade' webtoon

Boy band Seventeen member DK is set to be featured in a new song for the popular Naver Webtoon “Return of the Blossoming Blade” (2021-), which will be released on Monday at 6 p.m.

2026-02-23

Boy band Cortis's 'GO!' featured in 'NBA 2K26 Beats Official Soundtrack Season 4'

Boy band Cortis's song “GO!” (2025) is featured in the “NBA 2K26 Beats Official Soundtrack Season 4,” agency BigHit Music said on Wednesday.

2026-01-28

CookieRun to open art exhibition featuring high-quality works and media displays

The CookieRun exhibition is not just for the game’s die-hard fans. It felt worthwhile even to someone who didn’t play the game, as the 10 high-quality artworks crafted by Korea’s master artisans and stunning media art dazzled visitors.

2026-01-22