Kakao Entertainment Launches 'Kakao Webtoon Indonesia' to Maximize Influence in Southeast Asia

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Kakao Entertainment is accelerating its global expansion by launching Kakao Webtoon in Indonesia.

Kakao Entertainment announced that from the 27th, it will provide its global webtoon platform, Kakao Webtoon, in Indonesia. In December 2018, Kakao Entertainment acquired Neo Bazar, Indonesia's leading webtoon service company, to target the Southeast Asian market.

Since January 2020, it has operated Neo Bazar's local webtoon service, Webcomics, as Kakao Page Indonesia, leading continuous growth locally. This launch of Kakao Webtoon is a revamp of Kakao Page to strengthen competitiveness in the Southeast Asian market, with Kakao Page Indonesia serving as a bridge. Having introduced Kakao Webtoon in Taiwan and Thailand in June last year, Kakao Entertainment announced a vision this year to accelerate global expansion by focusing premium intellectual property (IP) and platform capabilities on the North American and Southeast Asian markets.

Kakao Entertainment expects the launch of Kakao Webtoon Indonesia to serve as a lever to realize its global vision. Indonesia has a population of approximately 280 million, ranking fourth in the world after China, India, and the United States. Additionally, as a country where diverse cultures coexist, it is considered a region with high potential for success of new cultural content such as webtoons.

Kakao Webtoon Indonesia will focus on Kakao Entertainment's representative business models and marketing capabilities, including the "Wait and Free" (Gidamu) model. It plans to showcase 50 major IPs including "Business Proposal," "Solo Leveling," and "King of the Pit." Furthermore, based on specialized localization personnel, it plans to offer more than 700 works within the year by combining existing Kakao Page Indonesia titles.

Jongcheol Park, Head of Global Business Division at Kakao Entertainment, said, "Indonesia holds significant meaning in the ASEAN region where Kakao Entertainment aims to realize its global vision alongside North America, and it is a place full of infinite potential for the success of 'K-Webtoon.' Based on successes in advanced global regions such as North America, Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan, we have established a blueprint to achieve success in Indonesia."

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