"Solo Leveling," the K-Webtoon with 14.3 Billion Views, Pop-Up Store Opens for the First Time in Changwon

An Interactive Exhibition in Tribute to the Late Jang Seongrak

The global hit webtoon "Solo Leveling," which has recorded 14.3 billion views, has opened a pop-up store at Changwon Exhibition Convention Center (CECO) in Gyeongnam Province.

This pop-up, which will run from March 27 to May 17, is the first large-scale pop-up store to be held outside the Seoul metropolitan area. It features a dedicated space commemorating the late artist Jang Seongrak, a native of Geochang, and is filled with scenes from his work, "Solo Leveling."

Explanation of the artwork inside the 'Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO' exhibition. Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

On March 23, Gyeongnam Province held the "Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO Media Day," providing local media and content creators with a preview of the exhibition content ahead of the official opening.

In the "Artist Zone" of the exhibition hall, visitors can explore materials from Jang's childhood, the webtoon production process, and a recreated version of his actual workspace—offering a glimpse into the artist's creative spirit and artistic universe.

In particular, previously unreleased materials were displayed to the public for the first time, drawing significant attention from visitors.

'Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO' exhibition's 'Artist Zone'. Photo by Se-Ryung Lee

The "Exhibition Zone" was filled with interactive content, including a "Shadow Army" summoning experience using smartphone augmented reality (AR), instant photo booths issuing personalized Hunter Certificates, a Hunter awakening timing test, light drawing activities, Solo Leveling board game and card experiences, as well as a stamp tour and mission games.

For some activities, successful participants could win special event prizes, such as a keyring and MagSafe phone grip featuring "Byori," the Gyeongnam Province mascot summoned as part of the "Shadow Army."

'Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO' exhibition hall internal experience program. Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

In the "Merchandise Zone," a total of 58 types and over 2,800 official goods, including limited edition merchandise available only at select venues, were on sale.

Additionally, during the event period, the webtoon production company D&C Media will be invited to host special lectures and hands-on programs for local students and aspiring artists.

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do Province (second from left), is delivering a greeting together with the bereaved family of the late Jang Seongrak, a webtoon artist from Geochang who was in charge of the illustration for "Solo Leveling," and related personnel at the "POP-UP in CECO" media day. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

On this day, Governor Park Wansu toured the exhibition hall, listening to explanations from the exhibition guide and thoroughly inspecting each area.

Governor Park stated, "This pop-up store became possible thanks to the active cooperation of the bereaved family of the late master artist Jang Seongrak, a native of Geochang, and the copyright holder, which enabled us to receive a global intellectual property (IP) license free of charge. I would like to express my gratitude to the artist's family."

He added, "I am very pleased that our province is the first in the nation to host the Solo Leveling pop-up store, which is recognized as the world's top webtoon. The achievements of a local artist with such innate talent are a source of pride for Gyeongnam residents and mark an important turning point for the development of the province's webtoon industry."

He continued, "We are accelerating efforts to attract promising webtoon companies and support startups by college graduates, including the ongoing construction of a content industry town in Gimhae. Moving forward, we will focus all administrative resources to establish Gyeongnam as the center of K-webtoons."

He also expressed his hope that "this event will spark nationwide interest in Gyeongnam's webtoon industry" and called for "active publicity and attention from the media and influencers."

'Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO' Exhibition Hall 'Artwork Zone'. Photo by Se Ryeong Lee

"Solo Leveling" is a webtoon based on a web novel by author Chugong, with illustrations by the late Jang Seongrak, who worked under the name "DUBU." The webtoon was serialized in 2018 and has accumulated a total of 14.3 billion views worldwide.

The story is a fantasy series about Sung Jinwoo, an E-rank "Hunter" known as the weakest among those who protect the real world from monsters beyond interdimensional gates. After being trapped in a double dungeon and awakening at the brink of death, he becomes a "Player"—the only one who can continue leveling up, eventually becoming the most powerful Hunter.

Thanks to its popularity, an animated series was co-produced by Korea, the United States, and Japan and aired on Netflix starting in January 2024. In May of the same year, a game adaptation was released by Netmarble, and a Netflix drama adaptation has also been confirmed, solidifying its status as a flagship intellectual property of Korea's content industry.

Message commemorating the completion of the late artist Jang Seongrak's work, displayed at the 'Solo Leveling, POP-UP in CECO' exhibition. Photo by Seryoung Lee

Jang, who was responsible for the illustrations, was born in 1985 in Geochang, Gyeongnam Province. On July 23, 2022, while preparing for his next work and a side story after finishing "Solo Leveling," he passed away unexpectedly due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

The illustration work Jang contributed to "Solo Leveling" is acclaimed for its vibrant, dynamic compositions and faithful, detailed rendition of the original story, which played a major role in the webtoon's success.

After the webtoon's conclusion, Jang left a message to readers: "In life's endless quest, sometimes alone and sometimes together, I cheer for your remaining journey as you continue to level up."

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