“In India, a population of 1.4 billion speaks eight different languages, each with regional nuances. This diversity influences content preferences, which may pose challenges for South Korean creators entering the Indian market. Dashtoon can now provide support.”Dashtoon Chief Operating Officer (COO) Lalith Gudipati
“The Indian market offers a stage where South Korea’s rich webtoon content can thrive. Many South Korean independent creators and small production companies need assistance when entering foreign markets. Our goal is to create a structure that allows South Korean authors to showcase their work in India, the U.S., and beyond.”Korea Webtoon Industry Association (KWIA) Chairman Seo Bum-gang
The Korea Webtoon Industry Association (KWIA) signed a partnership with the global webtoon platform Dashtoon on Aug. 12 to facilitate the international expansion of South Korean webtoons. This agreement is part of a broader, long-term collaboration initiated in September last year with Google Play to support the global success of South Korean webtoons and invigorate the industry. Through this partnership, global users can now access South Korea’s acclaimed webtoon content more easily via Dashtoon.
Founded in 2022, Dashtoon is headquartered in San Francisco, with additional offices in London and Bengaluru. Last year, Dashtoon was recognized as “Best for Fun” in the Comics & Manga category at Google Play’s “Best of 2023″ awards in India.
Dashtoon offers a mobile app for readers to enjoy comics and provides creators with a platform called Dashtoon Studio. The app, available on the Google Play Store and the App Store, features premium content across various genres, including webcomics, manga, and comics. It also offers comic adaptations of global bestselling novels. Dashtoon Studio allows story creators to transform their narratives into webtoons using generative AI.
Dashtoon Chief Operating Officer (COO) Lalith Gudipati noted, “India has a large young population, many of whom are interested in Hallyu and other South Korean content, which will aid in spreading South Korean webtoons. While India is still considered a developing country economically, trends show that digital content consumption is on the rise. Additionally, users are becoming more aware of the issues surrounding illegal distribution, which will likely improve over time.”
Discussing the objectives post-agreement, KWIA Chairman Seo Bum-gang said, “If webtoons can gain traction in the Indian market, they will become highly competitive. During the initial stages of establishing a webtoon market, it’s crucial to address issues such as copyright, piracy, and market pricing to ensure a solid foundation in India.”
Gudipati added, “Our goal is to license webtoon content from KWIA and distribute it through Dashtoon, exposing our users to more outstanding webtoons. We also aim to introduce creators to Dashtoon Studio, enabling them to produce even more excellent content.”
