South Korea's leading webtoon platforms, Naver Webtoon and Kakao Webtoon, are rapidly transforming the digital comics landscape by converting traditional scrolling comic panels into dynamic video content. This strategic shift aims to capture the attention of younger audiences who increasingly favor short-form video entertainment over conventional reading experiences.
The transformation reflects the webtoon industry's recognition that content consumption habits have fundamentally changed, particularly among younger users who gravitate toward platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. "The webtoon industry is increasingly recognizing the importance of providing content that aligns with the consumption habits of users, especially the younger generation, who prefer shorter content," explained an official from the local webtoon industry. "It appears that leading players in the industry are making this move to meet this demand."
Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon that manages the platform's global operations, recently launched an innovative feature called Video Episodes on its English-language service. This groundbreaking service transforms traditional webtoon chapters into comprehensive five-minute video adaptations that include moving images, sound effects, background music, and professional voice acting. The feature represents a complete departure from the familiar vertical scrolling format that has defined webtoons since their inception.
Currently operating in pilot mode, Video Episodes is being tested on 14 original English-language titles, including the popular fantasy-comedy series "Vampire Family." Each participating series offers 20 free episodes, allowing users to experience the same story through both traditional reading and video viewing formats. The dual-mode approach is designed to broaden accessibility and attract viewers who might not typically engage with text-based content.
Simultaneously, Naver introduced the Cuts service in Korea on Monday, establishing a dedicated short animation platform specifically designed to meet the growing demand for bite-sized content. This service operates on a similar principle to Video Episodes but focuses on condensing existing webtoons into short videos ranging from one to three minutes in length. The platform represents Naver's strategic expansion from purely reading experiences to comprehensive viewing entertainment.
Naver Webtoon is actively recruiting creators for the Cuts platform and plans to build a comprehensive ecosystem where traditional webtoons and short-form videos can coexist effectively. The company is providing financial grants to creators who produce high-quality condensed content. "We aim to provide various support to creators, ranging from content creation to securing a fandom," stated Kim Hyun-woo, the content lead for Naver's Cuts service.
Kakao Entertainment, which operates the competing Kakao Webtoon platform, has pursued a distinctly different technological approach by implementing artificial intelligence to automate the short-form adaptation process. Earlier this year, the company unveiled Helix Shorts, an advanced AI-powered technology that automatically generates bite-sized video summaries of existing webtoons without requiring manual production.
The Helix Shorts system demonstrates sophisticated capabilities by analyzing comic panels, dialogue, and character expressions to identify and condense key storylines into engaging video clips. The AI technology then enhances these condensed videos with professional narration, captions, background music, and cinematic effects including zooms, transitions, and other visual enhancements. These automatically generated videos are prominently featured on Kakao Page, the company's integrated webtoon and online novel platform, helping users quickly understand a series' tone and plot before committing to reading the full content.
Industry experts believe these technological innovations reflect a broader shift in how younger demographics consume entertainment content. The preference for quick, visually stimulating material has fundamentally altered content consumption patterns across all digital platforms. "The webtoon companies are making changes to stay close with younger generation," the industry official explained. "Combining short videos with popular webtoons could create a powerful mix, helping both new readers and existing fans grow."
Both Webtoon Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment plan to expand their video services to include more titles and additional languages, indicating that this transformation from static comics to dynamic video content represents a permanent evolution in the webtoon industry rather than a temporary experimental phase.
