20 Japanese students take intensive course on comics, webtoons at Sejong University
Japanese university students pose during an intensive comics and webtoon program held at Sejong University’s campus in northeastern Seoul from Aug. 10-23. Courtesy of Sejong University
Program part of Korea-Japan student exchange initiative
Sejong University offered 20 Japanese university students an intensive program focused on comics and webtoons — one of the university’s areas of expertise — from Aug. 10 to 23, the university said Tuesday.
The short-term undergraduate course followed the National Institute for International Education’s selection of Sejong University as a participating institution in the 2026 Korea-Japan Joint Higher Education Student Exchange Program in February.
The Japanese students participated in hands-on training based on the curriculum of the university’s Department of Comics and Animation Technology.
They experienced the entire webtoon production process — from webtoon intellectual property (IP) development and character design to storytelling, direction, storyboarding and manuscript production.
The university said the students planned their own webtoon IPs and produced storyboards and manuscripts through five core classes and related hands-on sessions.
Rather than simply experiencing Korean webtoon content, the program focused on helping students develop their own ideas into original IPs and turn them into finished works.
The program also included industry-linked activities. The students gained first-hand exposure to professional creators and the content industry through a special lecture by Choi Ji-su, a webtoon artist who works with Naver Webtoon and Line Manga, a field visit to Toonsquare, an AI-powered webtoon production company, and a tour of the university’s Motion Capture Studio.
Through these activities, the students gained a broad understanding of the production process and the latest technological trends in Korea’s webtoon industry.
“We designed the curriculum so that students could experience the entire process of developing their own ideas into webtoon IPs, rather than simply being exposed to Korean webtoons,” said Lee Soon-ki, a professor of comics and animation technology, who oversaw the program.
He added, “We hope the program will provide an opportunity for young creators from Korea and Japan to better understand each other’s content and industries, drawing on Sejong University’s accumulated expertise in comics and webtoon education.”
Alongside the major-specific courses, the program also offered special Korean-language sessions using Korean webtoon and animation content.
Participants learned Korean through dialogue and expressions of emotion featured in the works and broadened their understanding of Korean society and culture through a range of cultural experiences, including visits to Lotte World Aquarium, Hangang Park, Myeongdong Nanta Theater and a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) tour in Paju.
The program’s educational outcomes were highlighted at a showcase event held on Aug. 21.
The Japanese students presented the webtoon works they had planned and produced over the two-week program before a panel composed of faculty members and industry professionals. Outstanding works were recognized with awards.
“This program is an example of international education cooperation that combines the Korea-Japan higher education exchange initiative led by the National Institute for International Education with Sejong University’s strengths in K-content education,” said Lee Chung-hoon, head of external affairs at the university.
“We will continue to expand exchanges with Japanese universities beyond student exchanges alone and develop substantive partnerships that connect academic education with industry,” he added.