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Korean Government to Invest to Diversify Webtoon Market
posted on by Wonhee Cho
The Korean government will invest a total of 4 billion Korean won (approximately US$3 million) in 2026 to reduce genre concentration in the webtoon market and expand the creator base.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) announced two funding programs on February 24: “Diversity Comics Production Support” and an early-stage planning competition for comics and webtoons. Combined, the initiatives will support approximately 250 projects.
The main program will select around 140 projects led by emerging creators and cartoonists, providing 19 million Korean won (about US$14,000) per project. Both the number of supported works and the funding amount have increased compared to last year.
Beyond production grants, five management companies will be selected separately to provide consulting on content development, domestic and international distribution, IP commercialization, and overseas expansion.
Applicants must be 19 or older and must submit at least three completed episodes before final evaluation. Submissions will be accepted from March 3 to March 19.
Officials stated that the initiative aims to create a more sustainable creative ecosystem and encourage growth in underrepresented genres beyond the romance- and fantasy-heavy market structure that currently dominates Korean webtoons.
Source: KOMACON
