Occult webtoon 'Mirae's Antique Shop' wins Grand Prize at World Webtoon Awards
Cartoonist Gu A-jin, right, poses with Vice Culture Minister Kim Young-soo after receiving the Grand Prize with her webtoon “Mirae’s Antique Shop” at the 2025 World Webtoon Awards held at Lotte Cinema World Tower in southeastern Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
“Mirae's Antique Shop,” an occult webtoon by author Gu A-jin, clinched the prestigious Grand Prize at the 2025 World Webtoon Awards, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday.
Co-hosted by the ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the second annual World Webtoon Awards recognized the year’s best webtoon works from around the globe. The ministry said this year's competition was fierce as around 1,400 webtoons and online comics competed for the top honors.
"I shed tears when I saw the video announcing my work was selected for the Grand Prize," Gu said at the award ceremony held at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul. "There is still a long way to go for 'Mirae's Antique Shop,' but this award gives me great strength to complete the series well."
"Mirae's Antique Shop" tells the story of Mirae, a young shaman who uses exorcism to save the world from destruction.
“Judges highly praised the work's solid narrative and elegant artwork,” the ministry said.
The judging panel selected 10 winners for the main awards. They are: "The Uncanny Counter," "Myst, Might, Mayhem," "The Fourth Time's the Husband," "Like Mother, Like Daughter," "Maru is a Puppy," "Mirae's Antique Shop," "Tears on a Withered Flower," "Father, Unrivaled," "Omniscient Reader" and "Get Schooled."
Among them, the Jury President’s Award went to “Omniscient Reader” by UMI and Sleepy-C. This modern fantasy webtoon chronicles the events that unfold when an office worker, Kim Dok-ja, finds the web novel he was reading alone becomes reality.
The Reader’s Choice Award, determined directly by webtoon fans worldwide, was secured by "Debut or Die” by Jang Jin and Soheun. This work follows a civil servant exam taker who is transported into the body of a 20-year-old idol trainee and must makes an idol debut in a year or face death.
During the ceremony, Vice Culture Minister Kim Young-soo emphasized the significance of the event, as the awards will help reinforce Korea’s status as the webtoon industry's originator and encourage professionals in the sector.
“The second World Webtoon Awards is a meaningful event for webtoon industry professionals and fans worldwide to reflect on and celebrate the past year," he said. “The government will strive to help the World Webtoon Awards establish itself as the most prestigious award ceremony representing the webtoon industry, similar to the Cannes Film Festival in the future."