Webtoons are South Korea’s latest export hit
Film and television adaptations have spread their influence beyond comic aficionados
MOON JAE-IN briefly assumed the face of a badly bruised schoolboy. But it was not because he had botched a diplomatic mission or caused a political scandal. Rather, the reason was celebratory. South Korea’s president had donned a mask showing the protagonist of a popular web-based comic about bullied teenagers, to mark manhwa (comic) day and popularise his country’s latest export hit: webtoons, serialised comic strips that people can read on their phones.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Striding the universe”
From the July 31st 2021 edition
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