▲ This still of MBC series “Judge Lee Han-young” is provided by the broadcaster. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- 

As dramas based on popular webtoons and web novels enjoy major success, readership of the original works is also rebounding, highlighting new growth opportunities for the webtoon industry through intellectual property (IP) expansion.

 

Webtoon platforms are moving more aggressively to maximize the ripple effects of IP expansion, including directly taking part in live-action drama production.

 

Naver Webtoon said on Thursday, downloads of the original web novel for the MBC series “Judge Lee Han-young” surged 147-fold in the two weeks following the show’s premiere last month, compared with the period before it aired. Views of the webtoon adaptation of the same title also jumped more than 20 times over the same period.

 

“Judge Lee Han-young” is considered a representative example of successful IP expansion, having evolved from a popular web novel by author Lee Hae-nal into both a webtoon and a TV drama.

 

The live-action drama, starring actor Ji Sung as the titular character, drew praise for its cathartic storyline centered on punishing villains. It concluded with a peak nationwide viewership rating of 13.6 percent, according to Nielsen Korea.

 

Industry watchers say the drama’s popularity was the key driver behind the resurgence of the original web novel, which had ended its run in 2018 and made a comeback roughly eight years later.

 

Similarly, views of the Naver Webtoon adaptation of “Spring Fever,” based on a popular web novel by author Baek Min-a, increased tenfold in the two weeks after the release of the tvN romantic comedy series of the same name.

 

The show gained traction among original fans soon after its release, thanks to high character synchronization by actors Ahn Bo-hyun and Lee Joo-bin, as well as direction that faithfully captured the web novel’s delicate emotional lines and comic-style elements.

 

 

▲ This composite image shows South Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun and webtoon series “Spring Fever." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

By its fourth week, edited clips of the drama posted on YouTube and various social media platforms had surpassed a combined 410 million views.

 

Dramas based on webtoons and web novels benefit from having already been validated by millions of readers, offering greater stability in character settings and plot development. In the case of webtoons, pre-visualized scenes often serve as storyboards for drama production.

 

Such works also come with built-in fandoms, ensuring buzz even at the production stage. For drama producers, IP-based adaptations are seen as a smart way to reduce box-office risk.

 

According to the Korea Creative Content Agency’s “2025 Content IP Transaction Survey,” the top reasons users choose content based on original works were curiosity about differences from the source material (38.4 percent) and loyalty to the original work (34.6 percent).

 

However, industry insiders note that the webtoon sector’s direct financial gains from hit live-action adaptations are not as large as expected. IP expansion contracts are often handled directly by individual creators without going through platforms, and most revenues from screen adaptations go to creators, production companies and over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

 

Still, as success stories accumulate, webtoon companies are becoming more proactive by directly participating in live-action productions.

 

Studio N, a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, is producing the live-action adaptation of the Disney+ original series “The Remarried Empress,” starring Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon and Lee Jong-suk, one of the most anticipated projects of the year. It is also producing the TVING original series “Becoming a Legend of the Military Cook,” based on a web novel.

 

 

▲ This still of "The Remarried Empress" is provided by Disney Plus. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

Likewise, Kakao Entertainment directly joined the production of the Netflix series “Field Mouse,” starring Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu, in collaboration with H House and Studio PIM.

 

“Successful screen adaptations based on webtoons create a powerful virtuous cycle by driving renewed popularity for the original works,” an industry official said. “By directly participating in production, companies can better protect the core settings and messages of the originals and more actively maximize the IP’s added value.”

 

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