--- title: Webtoons are taking over the world. Is the US next? - The Hustle description: The digital comic format may be South Korea’s next big hit in the US. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/231811406-News-Brief_2022-03-29T230537.444Z.webp --- # Webtoons are taking over the world. Is the US next? ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: March 30, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 While superhero movies own pretty much every American box office record, the comic books they’re based on have always been a niche interest in the US. ![Webtoons are taking over the world. Is the US next?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/231811406-News-Brief_2022-03-29T230537.444Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=231811406-News-Brief_2022-03-29T230537.444Z.webp) Webtoons, a digital comic format that originated in South Korea, are starting to make a splash outside of East Asia — and a [big push](https://www.ft.com/content/e07dc473-cfcb-47be-b757-c4f4b63871f2) for the American market, per the *Financial Times*. #### **Webtoons…** … are digital comics meant to be read on a smartphone or computer. The technology originated circa 2003 as physical comic sales dwindled in South Korea. The rise of the format has happened in lockstep with the country’s 2 leading platforms: - **Naver Webtoon**, which has 750k creators on its platform and 82m monthly active users - **Kakao Webtoon**, whose Japanese affiliate, Piccoma, was the 2nd highest grossing non-gaming app in the world, behind TikTok, in 2021 ($96m in monthly revenue) Both platforms allow creators to upload Webtoons for free, leading to a massive range of stories and titles. This variety, along with the ability to consume Webtoons quickly and on-the-go, has led to the format’s growing popularity in South Korea and beyond. #### **But will Americans bite?** Critics wonder if South Korea’s “digital snack culture” will work with American audiences who have shown mixed feelings about short-form content. On one hand, TikTok has 50m [daily active users](https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users) in the US. On the other, Quibi, the short-form streaming platform, raised $1.75B only to [shut down](https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/21/21527197/quibi-streaming-service-mobile-shutting-down-end-katzenberg) 6 months after launch when it struggled to hit subscriber targets. #### **South Korean creators…** … have already generated massive hits in the US across formats: - **BTS**, the K-Pop group, has had the [bestselling song](https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/01/11/bts-ended-2020-with-the-bestselling-song-in-america-their-2021-total-was-even-bigger/?sh=42b850427cc9) in the US 2 years in a row - **Parasite**, the 2020 Oscar winner, is the 4th [highest-grossing](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genre/sg4208980225/) foreign film in US box office history - **Squid Game**, the Netflix hit, was the [6th title](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_Game#Viewership) to reach 3B minutes streamed in a single week since Nielsen started tracking streaming For its part, Naver Webtoon has **14m** subscribers in the US, making up 17% of its total readership — a nice little niche already. 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