Stop Creator Self-Exploitation?...The Dilemma of Webtoon Platforms

Intense Competition in the Webtoon Market...Creators Increasing Their Own Workload
Calls for Measures Like Paid Breaks...Platforms Are Concerned

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] As it has become common for famous webtoon artists to take long-term breaks due to health issues, the fact that one artist continued serializing their work even after a miscarriage has brought the brutal labor conditions of webtoon creators into the spotlight. Creators are demanding that webtoon platform companies take measures to address this issue, but platform companies are struggling, saying there is no practical way to prevent competition among creators.

According to the portal industry on the 15th, there is a growing call among webtoon creators for major platforms to establish measures to protect creators' health rights. They are asking for mandatory regular breaks or guaranteed paid leave. Related discussions are also underway within the 'Webtoon Win-Win Council' led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Platform companies such as Naver and Kakao are taking a difficult stance. They argue that since creators themselves have increased their workload due to fierce competition among themselves, blaming the platform companies is excessive. For example, Naver Webtoon does not set minimum cut counts or episode limits that creators must meet. Kakao Entertainment operates differently depending on contract terms without uniform restrictions. Regarding breaks, if creators request them, they are guaranteed without limitation.

Nevertheless, labor intensity remains an issue because competition in the webtoon market has intensified. With numerous works being released and readers’ expectations rising, creators themselves increase their output and emphasize elaborate artwork, thereby raising labor intensity. Since taking even a few weeks off can cause a drop in popularity rankings, it is difficult to pause serialization. Kwon Chang-ho, Secretary General of the Webtoon Association, explained, "Although platforms do not enforce it, in an environment where views and paid subscription rankings are immediately visible, artists fall into self-exploitation," adding, "The average number of cuts, which used to be 40 to 50, now easily exceeds 70 to 90, and the amount of detailed linework and coloring work has also increased."

However, it is difficult to ignore creators’ health rights. Recently, the artist responsible for the artwork of KakaoPage webtoon 'Roksana' revealed via social media that they suffered a miscarriage due to being unable to stop serialization and continued working on the series even after the miscarriage. In July, there was also the death of Jang Seong-rak, the artist of the popular webtoon 'Solo Leveling,' due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

The concerns of platform companies are deepening. Kakao Entertainment has begun efforts to improve serialization methods and the creative system with leaders from webtoon-related departments participating. Other platforms are also discussing creators’ health rights through the Webtoon Win-Win Council. They plan to present improvement measures next month. A Kakao Entertainment official said, "We are aware of the need for ecosystem improvement from a long-term perspective," adding, "It is important for platforms, CPs, and creators to collaborate and develop improvement plans together, so we will take responsibility and do our best to bring about change and improvement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.