The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said they have appointed actor Kim Jae-won as promotional ambassador for the 2026 World Webtoon Festival, to be held from Dec. 2 to 6 at COEX and the nearby Shinsegae Starfield COEX Mall in Seoul.
Now in its third year, the festival is a global event bringing together Korean and international webtoon titles, creators and fans. Kim will take part in advance promotion through official promotional videos, card news and short-form content. During the festival, he will tour exhibitions and pop-up stores and appear in major stage programs to meet visitors.
Drawing on Webtoon-Based Drama Experience to Promote the Festival
Kim has appeared in a range of productions, including "Our Blues," "King the Land," "The Queen Who Crowns," "Eunjung and Sangyeon" and "Lady Dua." He rose to stardom playing male lead Shin Sun-rok in "Yumi's Cells Season 3," based on a popular webtoon, and is expanding into film with a lead role in "The Final Interview," which opens in November.
Having worked in both webtoons and screen content, Kim plans to use his role as ambassador to highlight how webtoons are expanding beyond the screen into exhibitions, hands-on experiences and other formats.
The official promotional video is built around the festival slogan "READY, SET, SCROLL!" It shows Kim entering the webtoon world on a mobile screen and becoming the protagonist of titles such as "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint," "The Remarried Empress," "Garbage Time" and "Antique Shop of the Future." The video illustrates a key feature of the festival: seeing and experiencing in physical spaces the webtoons that audiences normally enjoy on their phones.
The video closes with the message "Time for the world to scroll together." Kim will also appear in various other online promotional content to build interest in the festival.
At the venue, Kim will discuss the links between webtoons and screen content based on his experience acting in webtoon-based dramas. He will also introduce a campaign against illegal webtoon distribution, for which he serves as an ambassador, and spend time interacting directly with visitors. He will attend the World Webtoon Awards, which spotlight the achievements of titles and creators that drew attention over the past year.
From COEX to Starfield: Experiencing Webtoon Worlds
The festival will feature exhibitions, pop-up stores, stage events and hands-on activities. The aim is to expand the festival's spaces and content so that visitors can experience webtoon worlds in real life rather than simply viewing the works.
Hall B at COEX will host webtoon-based exhibitions, hands-on content and stage programs. Pop-up stores offering exhibitions and merchandise will be set up around the Shinsegae Starfield COEX Mall, allowing visitors to enjoy webtoons across multiple spaces.
Kim will also take part in on-site programs. In a dubbing show with voice actor Nam Do-hyeong, he will recreate scenes from webtoons through voice acting, offering visitors a different kind of attraction.
"With the 2026 World Webtoon Festival, we want to expand participation by overseas titles and creators and develop it into a festival where webtoons and fans from around the world come together in one place," KOCCA President Kim Yun-ji said. "As the home of webtoons, we will promote the cultural value of K-webtoons widely and support the Korean webtoon industry in strengthening its competitiveness in the global market."
Admission to the festival is free, though some programs require advance registration or on-site sign-up. Detailed schedules and programs are available on the festival's official website and Instagram account.