Through close international cooperation between South Korea and Vietnam, three illegal K-webtoon distribution sites have been shut down. On June 12, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security announced the closure of these sites, which caused annual damages estimated at about 207.2 billion won, and the arrest of two operators.
The illegal sites, identified as 'Hari***', 'Manhwa***', and 'Kun***', were confirmed to have been operated by Vietnamese nationals since January 2023. They illegally translated domestic webtoons into English and distributed them without authorization to users worldwide, including in Asia, North America, and Europe, generating revenue through banner ads on their sites.
The total number of webtoons distributed illegally through these sites reached over 14,700, with K-webtoons accounting for approximately 70% of that total. The annual visitor count for these sites was reported at 1.1 billion, leading to an estimated annual loss of around 207.2 billion won for the industry.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security plans to proceed with prosecution once the investigation of the two suspects is completed. The Ministry of Culture, along with the Korea Copyright Protection Agency (Vietnam Office) and Naver Webtoon, intends to actively cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security to ensure a smooth copyright certification process for local prosecutions.
Additionally, the webtoon industry is calling for a thorough investigation into the operators of illegal webtoon sites. The Korea Digital Content Creators Association (Hancong) and 134 authors affected by illegal distribution through Newtoki and Booktoki filed a criminal complaint with the police on June 11, coinciding with the extradition of the operator of 'Manamoa' to South Korea, and held an emergency press conference.
The complaint involved 134 authors who collectively experienced illegal distribution of webtoons and web novels through Newtoki and Booktoki. They urged the police to conduct a swift and thorough investigation into the Newtoki operator, as well as to clarify the relationships between Newtoki, Booktoki, and Manamoa, identify accomplices and facilitators, trace advertising revenue flows, investigate the structure of illegal gambling site inflows, and uncover potential money laundering activities.
Minister Choi Hwi-young stated, "We will continue to strengthen international cooperation to combat illegal distribution of K-content and solidify the foundation for overseas copyright protection, ensuring that K-content is recognized for its rightful value worldwide."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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