The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea has announced the holding of the 1st World Webtoon Festival. This will take place in Seoul from September 26 to 29.
The event, which will take place in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seongdong-gu district, is part of a nationwide effort to boost the comics and webtoons industry, a digital comics format that has seen a global boom in the last years.
The festival has been designed to function as a platform to consolidate South Korea as the world leader in webtoons. This is an industry that has grown exponentially thanks to the rise of digital platforms and the growing interest in South Korean culture around the world.
According to the Ministry, the event also seeks to promote global recognition of this genre, highlighting the artistic quality and narrative innovation that Korean webtoons have brought to the world of entertainment.
Participation of industry giants
So far it has been confirmed that a total of 16 companies related to webtoon production will participate in the festival, including Naver Webtoon and Kakao Entertainment, two of the giants in the sector.
These companies will not only be present to showcase their latest creations, but will also offer a range of items for sale, as well as hosting exhibitions and interactive activities.
Naver Webtoon and Kakao Entertainment have established themselves as two pillars in the expansion of this format, not only in Korea, but also internationally, with thousands of users who follow their daily publications. Their participation in the festival not only shows the importance given to the event, but also reflects the commitment to the global expansion of webtoons, a market that has found great acceptance in countries such as Japan, the United States and several European countries. .
Awards and recognition for creativity
One of the most anticipated moments of the festival will be the awards ceremony, scheduled for the first day of the event, September 26. These awards, which seek to recognize quality and creativity in the world of webtoon, will be awarded to participants from all over the world. The purpose is to highlight the value of the format within the entertainment industry and offer creators an effective international platform to publicize their work.
The jury is made up of ten industry experts and has been in charge of selecting the ten finalists for the main prize and the three finalists for the special prize.
These works were chosen from among 104 proposals, which came through an open competition and nominations. During the ceremony, both the main prize winner and the jury prize winner, two of the festival’s most prestigious awards, will be announced.
The most attractive activities of the event
The festival will also offer a series of interactive activities and talks that seek to engage both industry professionals and webtoon fans.
Among them, a talk that will take place on September 27, where Kymber Lim, founder of the theater and film company MAJYK Studios, will talk about Hollywood’s growing interest in Korean webtoons, has especially attracted the public’s attention. The participation of Lim, who has a long history in the entertainment industry, is proof of the way in which this format has grown significantly and has begun to attract the attention of major production companies worldwide.
On the other hand, on September 28, a renowned webtoon creator and a popular YouTuber will offer a “colloquium concert.” This is an event that promises to combine music and conversation around the creation of digital content. The next day, the festival will feature a live dubbing session for webtoon characters, followed by a live demonstration by some of the most popular artists in creating emoticons, an increasingly relevant aspect within the webtoon ecosystem and digital culture in general.
Important event details
The 1st World Webtoon Festival is a free event and open to the public. Those interested in attending can reserve their tickets online through the event’s official website or purchase them directly on site.
For more information on activities, schedules and additional details, the Ministry of Culture has made the official website wefe.kr and the Instagram account @wefe2024_official available to the public, where updates and announcements will be posted in real time.
Source: https://reporteasia.com/manga/2024/09/26/corea-sur-celebrara-festival-mundial-webtoon/
