World Webtoon Festival grows into global celebration of online comics

Visitors browse merchandise of “Maru is a Puppy,” a popular webtoon, at a pop-up store installed for the 2025 World Webtoon Festival at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

“I learned about this event while traveling in Korea, and I’m so glad I could buy merchandise for my favorite webtoon,” said a visitor from Taiwan, a fan of the popular webtoon “The Remarried Empress,” with a shopping bag full of exclusive merchandise. She was among the many international fans flocking to Seoul as the 2025 World Webtoon Festival transforms Lotte Town Jamsil into a global hub for comics lovers.

Now in its second year, the festival has been expanded both in scale and ambition, drawing visitors from around the world to celebrate the growing influence of webtoons in global entertainment and pop culture. With a more international atmosphere and an array of fan-centered experiences, this year’s edition underscores how Korea’s homegrown digital comics have become a worldwide phenomenon.

Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the four-day event running from Sunday to Wednesday transformed the Lotte Town Jamsil complex in southeastern Seoul into a hub for webtoons, or online comics.

Visitors enter the 2025 World Webtoon Festival held at the Lotte Town Jamsil in southeastern Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

The festival offers a diverse array of exhibitions, immersive experience zones and pop-up stores across venues including the Lotte World Ice Rink, Lotte World Tower and Lotte Cinema World Tower.

A key difference this year is the relocation from last year's trendy but somewhat isolated Seongsu-dong to the more accessible Lotte Town in southeastern Seoul's Jamsil area. This shift to a more public and commercially established space is welcomed by attendees.

A male comics fan in his 20s, who also attended last year's event, noted how the festival improved ambiance and accessibility.

"When I participated in the first festival held in Seongsu-dong last year, I felt like the event didn't quite blend with the bustling, trendy neighborhood. This year, by being held in a more public-friendly space, the atmosphere feels much better," he said.

"Last year's event was close to a subway station, but parking was tricky. This year, the venue is connected directly to the subway and has ample parking, making the event more accessible," he added, praising the improved accessibility.

Visitors take a look around a pop-up store for the popular webtoon “The Remarried Empress” during the 2025 World Webtoon Festival at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

Visitors noted that the festival not only promotes webtoons as an online content medium both in Korea and abroad, but also showcases the industry’s commercial value through its expansive array of merchandise.

One of the most striking sights at the event was the steady stream of international fans lining up at pop-up stores devoted to hit webtoon series. For many overseas visitors, the chance to buy official merchandise in the birthplace of their beloved webtoons was a highlight of the festival experience.

Due to overwhelming demand, some pop-up stores — such as the one for the major title "Maru is a Puppy" — required advance reservations and still sold out on the first day of the festival.

Life-sized weapons from the popular webtoon “Solo Leveling” are on display at a pop-up store during the 2025 World Webtoon Festival held at Lotte World Mall in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

The Korean audience is predominantly composed of younger generations, particularly teenagers and those in their 20s.

A 20-something male fan of the popular webtoon “Solo Leveling,” who visited the title's pop-up store with his friends, expressed his surprise at an exhibition featuring life-sized weaponry from the comic series.

"I came with my friends to see the pop-up store because I love this webtoon. It was fascinating to see the actual weapons from the comic on display," the visitor said.

This particular exhibit, featuring the main character's weapons displayed at the pop-up store, is a collaboration with Korean steel giant POSCO.

An exhibition of the 2025 World Webtoon Festival is held at Lotte World Ice Rink in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

This year's festival features 12 webtoon companies, including Naver Webtoon, Daon Creative and D&C Media, all highlighting Korea’s continued push to promote webtoons as both a cultural export and commercial powerhouse.

KOCCA has emphasized its mission to strengthen the competitiveness of webtoon intellectual property, support creators and foster a thriving ecosystem.

The World Webtoon Awards will wrap up the festival, Wednesday, where the winners of the Grand Prize, Jury President’s Award and Readers’ Choice Award will be announced.