Kakao Entertainment's 'Sanaematsun' Released as a Volume in North America

Kakao Entertainment announced on the 23rd that its flagship intellectual property (IP) "Sanae Matchseon" will be published locally through a collaboration with the well-known North American comic publisher Yen Press.

"Sanae Matchseon" is a global IP that has surpassed 560 million cumulative views domestically and internationally by combining web novels and webtoons. It is a work that has been widely adapted into various secondary creations, demonstrating the potential of the original IP. Produced as a novel comic by Kakao Entertainment, which systematically converts popular web novels into webtoons, it gained great popularity both in Korea and abroad. The drama of the same name, produced directly by Kakao Entertainment, was released not only in Korea but also on global OTT platforms, ranking number one in weekly viewership charts in English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries around the world.

The publication of the book is handled by "Eyes Press," Yen Press's Korean IP specialized brand. Yen Press is one of the largest local publishers in North America, known for publishing prominent comics and novels. Previously, it attracted attention by publishing the book version of the Tapas original webtoon "The Beginning After the End" in North America. The book will be distributed from the 23rd through major North American bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kinokuniya, and various local bookstores.

Kakao Entertainment plans to continue various secondary creation projects in North America based on outstanding original webtoon IPs discovered in Korea, and will steadily collaborate with North American publishers for book publications.

Jongcheol Park, head of Kakao Entertainment's Global Story Division, said, “The release of Kakao Entertainment’s IP as a book in North America, where the publishing market centers around comics, demonstrates not only the inherent competitiveness of Kakao Entertainment’s webtoons but also the growing status of Korean webtoons locally.” He added, “Going forward, we will expand the North American webtoon market centered on Tapas Entertainment and carry out various projects that create synergy with the local North American market based on webtoons.”

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