The history of webtoons.

Webtoons were born in South Korea between 2003 (Daum) and 2004 (Naver) — designed for slow-internet-era desktop reading, then accidentally perfect for the smartphone era that arrived in 2007. The format hit three inflection points: 2013 (Page Profit Share program made webtoon creation a viable career), 2014 (LINE Webtoon English launch went global), and 2024 (Solo Leveling anime + WEBTOON Entertainment's June NASDAQ IPO under ticker WBTN cemented the format as a mainstream global business).

Daum Webtoon (2003) — the first platform

Daum Communications launched Daum Webtoon in 2003 as an experimental section within its portal. The format wasn't yet locked in as vertical-only — early experiments included both scroll-based and page-based layouts. What mattered was the platform commitment: a major Korean portal was formally publishing digital comics as an editorial category.

Naver Webtoon (2004) — the format standard

Naver launched its Webtoon service in 2004, and this is where the modern webtoon format took its recognizable shape. Vertical-scroll became the primary layout. Weekly episode cadence became the norm. Free-to-read distribution with advertising as the eventual revenue engine emerged as the business model. The word “webtoon” (웹툰) itself — a Korean coinage combining English loanwords 웹 (web) and 툰 (toon) — became standardized in this period.

Critically, none of this was designed for smartphones — the iPhone was still three years away. The vertical-scroll design was optimized for slow-internet desktop reading (minimizing page loads) and for the wide-monitor viewing that dominated Korean PC-bang and home computer setups. The mobile-native magic came later.

2013 was the pivotal creator-economy year. Naver launched the Page Profit Share (PPS) program — the first formal monetization system for webtoon creators. Revenue share tied to view counts meant a webtoon creator could, for the first time, treat the format as a real career path rather than a hobby with occasional print-collection royalties.

The same year, Lezhin Comics launched a per-episode purchase model, opening a parallel monetization approach — readers pay directly rather than watching ads. This established the two competing revenue models that still dominate the format: ad-share (WEBTOON, Tapas) and per-episode purchase (Lezhin, Tappytoon, KakaoPage).

For the detailed creator-earnings breakdown — how much webtoon creators actually make across CANVAS ads, Originals contracts, and Patreon — see our how much do webtoon writers make guide (coming soon).

Tapas grows as English-native alternative

Tapas (originally Tapastic, launched 2012) grew as WEBTOON's main English-market competitor through this period. Better economics for creators — 70% ad revenue share versus WEBTOON's 50% — attracted English-native creators looking for a path that didn't require Korean-market fluency. Kakao acquired Tapas in 2021.

CANVAS launch — WEBTOON opens self-publishing

WEBTOON's CANVAS tier formalized the self-publishing path — anyone could post a series with no editorial gate. This created the CANVAS → Originals career ladder that shapes most webtoon creator paths today: prove yourself on CANVAS with reader engagement, get noticed by WEBTOON editorial, get contracted as an Originals creator with negotiated pay.

Solo Leveling debuts on KakaoPage (2018)

Chugong's Solo Leveling web novel (2016) was adapted to webtoon by DUBU / REDICE Studio in 2018 for KakaoPage. It became a top-tier Korean webtoon through the late 2010s but wouldn't become a global mainstream name until the 2024 anime adaptation.

Lore Olympus proves non-Korean webtoons work (2018)

Rachel Smythe, a New Zealand illustrator, launched Lore Olympus on WEBTOON in 2018. Her retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth became WEBTOON's first major English-native Originals success — multiple Eisner Award nominations, Penguin Random House print-book adaptations, and a proof that webtoon isn't exclusively a Korean-creator format.

Solo Leveling anime announcement

A-1 Pictures announced the Solo Leveling anime adaptation in 2022, with a target 2024 release. The pre-release marketing cycle drove a first wave of new readers to the KakaoPage source webtoon and the WEBTOON English translation. Reader counts for the manhwa/webtoon jumped materially in anticipation.

Netflix and adaptation deals proliferate

Sweet Home, Lookism, All of Us Are Dead, and multiple other Korean webtoons became live-action or animated adaptations on Netflix through this period. Korean webtoons became a dominant IP source for the Korean-drama slate. This demonstrated the licensing revenue potential that would later underwrite the WEBTOON Entertainment IPO valuation.

The 2020-2021 pandemic-driven surge in mobile reading combined with this IP-crossover era to give the webtoon format its clearest business case yet — not just as a reader platform, but as an IP-licensing pipeline for adjacent media industries.

As of August 17, 2026, the webtoon landscape has consolidated around a few clear categories. WEBTOON leads globally by scale. Tapas + Manta + Lezhin + Tappytoon serve English-market niches. KakaoPage dominates the Korean home market. Bilibili Comics leads the Chinese-market manhua equivalent.

Two live debates shape the post-IPO era. First, AI-content policy — platforms are actively developing rules on AI-assisted versus AI-generated webtoon content, with no unified industry standard yet. Second, creator-contract terms — Originals creators and their representatives have pushed publicly for improved royalty structures and rights retention post-IPO.

The format that started as a 2003 Korean portal experiment is now a globally consumed publishing category with established creator career paths, IP-licensing pipelines into streaming platforms, and public-market accountability. The next chapter is being written now.

For readers arriving at this history and wondering what a modern webtoon career looks like in practice — CANVAS to Originals progression, contract mechanics, honest earnings — see our webtoon creator career guide. For the current AI-assisted-creation landscape being negotiated across platforms, our AI webtoon maker and best AI webtoon makers comparison cover the tools shaping how the next generation of series get made.

How did webtoons originate?

Webtoons originated in South Korea between 2003 and 2004. Daum Communications launched Daum Webtoon in 2003 as an experimental section within its portal; Naver followed in 2004 with the service that formalized the vertical-scroll layout, weekly episode cadence, and free-to-read model. The format was originally designed for slow-internet-era desktop reading — the smartphone boom from 2007 onward matched the design perfectly by accident.

Who invented the first webtoon?

No single person invented webtoons. Daum Communications launched the first platform in 2003, and Naver formalized the vertical-scroll format in 2004. Individual creators experimented with digital comics on Korean portal sites in the late 1990s, but the recognized webtoon format emerged from the 2003-2004 Daum + Naver platform launches rather than from a single creator.

Are webtoons Korean or Japanese?

Korean-origin. The vertical-scroll digital comic format was pioneered in South Korea between 2003 (Daum) and 2004 (Naver). Japan has a separate equivalent called tate-yomi (縦読み, literally 'vertical reading') that grew in the late 2010s, but it's a smaller and newer market. When people say 'webtoon' they nearly always mean the Korean-origin format.

When did webtoons become popular globally?

Three inflection points. July 2014 was the first — LINE Webtoon launched an English-language platform, opening the format to global readers. The 2020-2021 pandemic accelerated adoption as people spent more time on mobile. January 2024 was the mainstream tipping point when the Solo Leveling anime (adapted from a KakaoPage webtoon) broke global streaming records and drove a surge of new readers into the format.

Who owns WEBTOON now?

Webtoon Entertainment Inc. has been publicly traded on NASDAQ under ticker WBTN since June 2024. Per Wikipedia, ownership is split between Naver Corporation (62.4%), LY Corporation (23.7%), The Walt Disney Company (2%), and public float. Naver remains the majority shareholder and the operating parent of the WEBTOON platform globally.

Why did webtoons become vertical scroll?

The format was designed in 2003-2004 for desktop reading in slow-internet-era Korea. Single-column vertical scroll minimized page loads and worked well on the wide-screen monitors of the time. When smartphones arrived from 2007 onward, the vertical-scroll design turned out to fit mobile screens perfectly — a serendipity of tech evolution rather than a deliberate mobile-first design choice.

Is WEBTOON the same as manhwa?

No. Manhwa is an origin label (any Korean comic, from 1920s print through today). Webtoon is a format label (vertical-scroll digital comic, regardless of creator's country). Most modern manhwa are webtoons because Korean creators dominate the format, but a French creator on WEBTOON CANVAS makes a webtoon that isn't manhwa. For the full breakdown, see our manga vs manhwa vs manhua guide.