This Week in Webtoon-ish, August 9th
Q2 numbers are slowly coming out and... they're not bad.
August is the month of Q2 earnings results and we’re getting started with two juggernauts in the Korean market: Naver and Kakao.
There are more to come (like WEBTOON), but we’ll have to wait in the meantime. For now, let’s take a look at the movie industry in Korea not to mention the return of a classic manhwa creator to the webtoon industry.
Naver Corp Releases 2025 Q2 Earnings Results
The biggest news of the week is Naver Corp’s review of their 2025 Q2 revenue for the entire company. The WEBTOON 2025 Q2 revenue results will be released on August 12th.
This was an overall report with general numbers for the entirety of the company and it’s well worth reading through as it’s provided in English and Korean.
Source: Naver Corp
Kakao Posts 417 Billion KRW Revenue in Q2
Kakao’s Q2 Earnings Release made a splash when they posted 38.8% YoY increase in Operating profits thanks mostly to a drop in Operating Expenses and increase in revenue from their Platform business (KakaoTalk, Portal Biz, etc.). This helped offset the drop in revenue from their Content business which saw a 7.3% drop YoY mostly from their Game division which saw a 38.9% drop YoY.
Source: Kakao Corp
Smilegate Unveils “The Player Who Can’t Level Up” Game Adaptation
Smilegate will be publishing a video game adaptation of “The Player Who Can’t Level Up” developed by TryPearl Games. TPWCLU is a Lit-RPG style webtoon that’s been popular in recent years. The video game adaptation is slated for Xbox, Playstation and PC with a mobile version planned for a later time.
Source: Kookmin Ilbo
“My Daughter is a Zombie” Sells 2.2 Million Tickets
Naver’s live-action adaptation of “My Daughter is a Zombie” sold over 2.2 million tickets after just a week in theaters firmly cementing it as the film of the summer in South Korea. The film is already licensed to be show in foreign markets including the US.
Source: Pin Point News
The Korean Film Industry Sees a 33% YoY Decline for 2025 H1
According to the Korean Film Council, the first half of 2025 saw a 33% decline in box office revenue compared to 2024. Korean films were hit the worst seeing a 43% decline while foreign films saw a 19% drop in revenue.
Source: Korea Herald
Shin Il-Sook Returns from an 8 Year Hiatus with a New Webtoon
Shin Il-sook, a manhwa creator who debuted in 1980, will be returning after an 8 year hiatus to storytelling with a new launch title. The new title, "Manu's Daughters", has already launched and is available to read on Naver Webtoon in Korean.
Source: Yonhap News
Tappytoon Returns to Anime NYC with Merch
Webtoon platform/publisher Tappytoon will be attending this year’s Anime NYC and they’ll be bringing physical merch with them. They’ll be bringing merch from “Wet Sand”, “The Broken Ring”, and, of course, “King’s Maker” as the creators will be attending as guests of honor.
Source: Instagram