Webtoon platforms are increasingly venturing into K-drama production, adapting their own intellectual properties (IPs) to counter declining viewership and rising production costs in the content industry.

Korean broadcasters and streaming services have been capitalising on the popularity of web novels and webtoons, with several successful adaptations last year, including Lovely Runner, Marry My Husband, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, and When the Phone Rings.

This trend of adapting ‘super IPs’ has become a key strategy for both traditional television and streaming platforms, with more adaptations planned for this year. Notably, Naver Webtoon’s Study Group will be adapted into a Tving original drama, while Netflix will release The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, based on the web novel and webtoon Severe Trauma Center: Golden Hour. Kakao Webtoon’s Bunny and Her Boys will be adapted into the MBC drama Crushology 101, set to premiere in April.

Rather than merely selling adaptation rights, webtoon platforms and content providers are now taking an active role in production. For instance, Study Group, set to launch on 23 January, is produced by YLAB Plex, the in-house production company of webtoon IP holder YLAB. Similarly, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, starring Ju Ji-hoon, is produced by Naver Webtoon’s subsidiary, Studio N.

With over 170 million views globally, Bunny and Her Boys has a strong international fan base, reinforcing the value of webtoon IPs in the evolving content market. Kakao Entertainment, which previously demonstrated its production capabilities with Disney+’s The Worst of Evil and Netflix’s Gyeongseong Creature, is now leveraging its expertise across its subsidiaries to develop new dramas.

A Kakao Entertainment official stated: “We have the best understanding of our IPs, which enables us to effectively expand them into various content formats. Our recent successes, such as When the Phone Rings, Business Proposal, and Not Others, have attracted both existing fans and new audiences.”

With webtoon platforms taking greater control over adaptations, the industry is set to see a surge in high-quality dramas derived from popular digital comics and novels.

Agencies