"Webtoon Illegal Distribution Tackled" Kakao Deletes 1 Billion Cases, Naver Simultaneous Serialization

Kakao Entertainment, 1 Billion Illegal Contents Blocked… Protecting the K-Webtoon Ecosystem

The two leading platforms driving the domestic webtoon industry have launched a full-scale offensive to eradicate chronic illegal distribution and protect creators' rights. Kakao Entertainment has achieved the milestone of blocking over 1 billion cases of global illegal distribution content, and published the '8th Illegal Distribution Response White Paper' detailing the process on the 11th.

This white paper includes the results of the dedicated response team of Kakao Entertainment, 'P.CoK', which has focused on targeting illegal distribution of webtoons and web novels since its launch in November 2021. It has enhanced effectiveness by including an independent illegal distribution response protocol and in-depth interviews with global copyright experts.

Lee Hojun, the head of the legal department at Kakao Entertainment, emphasized, "We will continue to enhance the illegal distribution response capabilities of the domestic content industry and make every effort to protect a healthy creative ecosystem."

Naver Webtoon Blocks Illegal Translations with 'Global Simultaneous Serialization'… Payment Amount Surges 208%

Naver Webtoon has introduced a 'simultaneous serialization' system that eliminates the time difference in serialization between Korea and global services to completely block reader leakage to overseas illegal translation sites, proving its effectiveness in protecting creator revenue.

According to Naver Webtoon analysis, 'The Child Who Resembles Me', 'Special Employment Public Servant', 'Lee Seob's Romance', 'Childhood Friend Complex' are the four major works that applied simultaneous serialization after returning from hiatus, resulting in a sharp increase in payment amounts and weekly viewer numbers over the seven days following their return.

In particular, 'Childhood Friend Complex' recorded an overwhelming achievement with a 208% surge in payment amounts in the global service compared to before the hiatus. By providing official translations in real-time, it successfully attracted overseas readers who were using illegal sites to the official platform.

Naver Webtoon plans to continue its distribution innovation through simultaneous serialization while fully deploying its self-developed illegal distribution blocking technology 'Toon Raider' to maximize technical pressure on global illegal sites.