Costumed in an old-fashioned greenish gym suit, a retarded boy is waddling around the shabby village. Mocked by mischievous schoolboys, he seems to be nothing more than an indolent fool. His idyllic life, soon interrupted by a secret order from North Korea, turns into that of an adroit spy. This dramatic and eye-catching plot is a storyline of the recent hit movie; yet, this familiar storyline is actually borrowed from the well-known webtoon called “Secretly, Greatly.” Being an infinite source of movie plots as well as an opening of an opportunity for further reinterpretation, the webtoon’s collage with movies is still ongoing.

▲ The protagonist named Bonggoo, in the webtoon named “Secretly, Greatly.”Provided by Daum webtoon

A Decade of Evolution, Life of Webtoon

Since its advent in 2003, webtoon has been evolving. Breaking out of the musty comic books piled up on outdated bookshelves, it jumped onto the Internet. This could be safely referred to as a “revolution,” or an “unprecedented transition from paper to computer.” Through this process, a cartoon was combined with the Internet, resulting in a new cartoon genre named “webtoon.” There have been numerous guesses as to the reason for this sudden boom in the webtoon industry, but Professor Kong Ok Hee (Cartoon and Animation, Sunchon National University) attributes this coup to the open characteristic of the webtoon, saying “[Contrary to classic cartoons,] webtoons provide a chance for readers to interact with the cartoonist and other readers through the Internet. This is a revolutionary advancement that fosters public interest in webtoons, as well as the biggest difference distinguishing webtoons from classic cartoons.” 

Winning ardent public approval from its very beginning, this so-called “webtoon” stepped further. In 2006, it dove into the field of movies, armed with novel plotlines and catchy characters. Kangfull, the most prolific and prominent cartoonist of that era, was the first to have his work adapted to a movie. 

Apartment, a thriller webtoon produced by Kangfull, was the first adapted to a movie, drawing public attention for its fresh concept. The result was near-catastrophic compared with the success of its original webtoon piece, and it ended up being a huge commercial failure with just 600,000 audiences. Failing to pinpoint and dramatize the main theme of the original webtoon, this movie was criticized for its perfunctory focus on a “ghost” and the typified background “apartment.” This unwanted stray from the author’s intention led to several subsequent commercial failures of webtoon-based movies, despite growing public interest in webtoons.

 After years of successive failure of webtoon-based movies, major Korean movie production companies temporarily disengaged themselves from further investment in webtoon-based movies in 2009. Stunned by notable public apathy toward webtoon-based movies, movie producers began to reflect on innate problems underlying webtoon dramatization.

At the beginning of this novel endeavor, webtoon dramatization was mainly focused on simple imitation of an original storyline, disregarding the underlying differences between webtoons and movies. The most noticeable difference lies in the technical method of displaying. Contrary to the static property and unbounded imagination of webtoons, movies are basically based on active motion with relatively realistic, and therefore shallow storylines. The rather surreal characters and lengthy plotline of an original webtoon piece are grave challenges for movie directors who try to achieve a high level of realism. Nevertheless, the greatest mistake in the webtoon dramatization lies in the mismatched taste between webtoon consumers and movie producers. In contrast with consumers’ interest in distinctive characters and underlying morals, early webtoon-based movies mainly focused on superficial storylines, thereby repeating hackneyed imitation.

However, what is truly remarkable is the sudden revival of webtoon-based movies. The movie Moss, released in 2010, won more than three million viewers, revealing the lucrative nature of webtoon dramatization. Covering the grave topic of wicked human nature and redemption, the original theme of this webtoon is well preserved in its dramatized version.

Using a slightly reversing plotline as well as casting accomplished actors, director Kang Woo-Suk succeeded in producing a tantalizing piece. Distinguished from previous webtoon-based movies that failed to creatively revise the original plotline, this piece boldly cut unnecessary parts and maximized the dreary ambience by focusing on the main conflicts between characters.

▲ Webtoon is now accessible at any place. Photographed by Kim Sun Oh

The reasons for this favorable response to th ewebtoon-based movie are diverse. Primarily, webtoon is re-interpreted through dramatization, giving viewers a chance to delve into different facets of that webtoon. Like the movie Moss, which mainly focused on the darkness of human nature and insidious conflicts between characters, webtoon dramatization nudges readers to reconsider the plotline by summing up original storyline. as well as serves as a new interpretation of the original work.

Kong reiterates the bright side of webtoon’s dramatization, saying “Through this process, audiences can draw pleasure in comparing the original webtoon with its dramatized version. Besides, they want to know how the webtoon can be transformed and edited through dramatization. That sort of curiosities drove webtoon readers into the movie theater. Though mostly criticized for its superficial approach and facile imitation, this dramatization made a big footprint in the history of webtoon-based movies.”

What Does This Success Connote?

Starting off as a minor leisure activity enjoyed by a few, the webtoon has migrated from the margins to the mainstream. Thanks to developments in IT, the so-called “cartoon in a computer” now shows up in handy cell phones, enabling unlimited access to this fun and free service at any place and at any moment.

Kong especially emphasized webtoon's pivotal role in forming pop culture in the recent era, saying “Webtoonhas evolved into a ‘brand’ that makes a strong imprint on the public’s minds. Nowadays, it is the fundamental source of diverse cultural industry ranging from movies to computer games. The term ‘OSMU,’ which stands for ‘one source multi-use’ is just an apt description of this sudden boom in the webtoon industry, thanks to its recent breakthroughs in its dramatization.”

▲ Two protagonists in the recently dramatized webtoon, The Legendary Fist.Provided by Daum webtoon