A Digital Creative Industry, Webtoons: With a Focus on the Thai Webtoon Market

Authors

  • Sueun Kim Lecturer, Department of Thai Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
  • Kyungeun Park Prof., Department of Thai Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
  • Bongchul Kim Prof., Department of European Union Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
  • Hyeonwook Joo Student, Department of Thai Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
  • Yangwon Hyun Prof., Department of Korean Language and Culture, Rangsit University, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14456/jucr.2025.5

Keywords:

Digital Creative Industry, Glocalization, Digital Platform, Webtoon, Thailand, Soft Power

Abstract

This study aims to explore the current state and challenges of the webtoon industry as a unique creative industry, focusing on the case of Thailand. First, it examines the characteristics and trends of the Webtoon market in Thailand, and how it contributes to the cultivation of a new creative industry. The study’s findings show that there is a dynamic relationship between the entry of major Korean webtoon platforms and the Thai publishing companies aided by an influx of Chinese capital that entered the market and established themselves as latecomers. In addition, the Thai-drama adaptations of Korean webtoons in Thailand have led to the transmedia adaptation of webtoons in the Thai market, thereby highlighting the potential of Thailand-based transnationalization of webtoons. This study illuminates how Thai webtoons function as a symbol of transnational cultural movement and elucidates their contribution to the creation of a new creative industry.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-17

How to Cite

Kim, Sueun, Kyungeun Park, Bongchul Kim, Hyeonwook Joo, and Yangwon Hyun. 2025. “A Digital Creative Industry, Webtoons: With a Focus on the Thai Webtoon Market”. Journal of Urban Culture Research 30 (June):62-73. https://doi.org/10.14456/jucr.2025.5.

Issue

Vol. 30: Vol. 30: January-June 2025

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors authorize the JUCR to publish their materials both in print and online while retaining their full individual copyright. The copyright of JUCR volumes is retained by Chulalongkorn University. 

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Journal (JUCR), it editors and staff, Chulalongkorn University, or Osaka Metropolitan University.