As interest in using artificial intelligence grows across South Korea's cultural sector, attention is turning to how the government will support the comics and webtoon industry. Vouchers for AI tools and matchmaking between AI companies and creators emerged as possible directions.
Support measures for AI adoption dominated the fourth session of the webtoon subcommittee of the Culture and Arts Policy Advisory Committee, held on the 14th at the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno District, Seoul. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young presided over the meeting.
Park Suk-hwan, strategy director at Jaedam Media and a member of the advisory committee, opened the discussion by noting that AI adoption and AI transformation are already under way in the cultural sector. "When comics moved from print to the internet, it was hard on artists, but active government support built the webtoon market we have today," he said. "If the government provides training and vouchers so that artists can make full use of AI, a new market could open up."
Won Soo-yeon, a cartoonist who also serves on the committee, said artists in the field are using AI almost without exception. "I use it myself. Support for AI is needed," she said.
Choi Won-young, chief executive of D&C Media (263720), said the government should take an interest in matching AI companies with webtoon artists. "If companies with AI technology work together with webtoon companies that hold intellectual property, there will be results," he said. "Artists find AI somewhat difficult and tend to be defensive about it, so it would help if the government stepped in actively."
The minister said the government is weighing the issue. "Providing AI vouchers to individual artists one by one raises doubts about effectiveness relative to the enormous budget required, and the government is giving it thought," Choi said. "There is a case to be made for AI transformation in the cultural sector, but the problem is that the budget required is endless."
Choi said the collaboration idea appeared promising. "As it happens, the first Culture Technology Alliance launches tomorrow, on the 15th," he said. "Major AI technology companies and cultural companies will gather in one place, and we will create space for webtoons to take part."
Choi also shared the outcome of the government's 2027 budget proposal for the webtoon sector. According to the ministry, about 32.7 billion won ($23 million) has been allocated to comics and webtoons in next year's budget proposal. The headline total is down 4.6% from this year because a facility construction project has ended, but excluding regional facility construction, program spending alone rises 6%, the ministry said.
Notably, the proposal includes 3.1 billion won in new funding to build 14 comics and webtoon scenario workshops as regional creative hubs. Budgets for programs in high demand among practitioners also increased from this year, including 2.86 billion won for translating award-winning works, 5.22 billion won for producing global webtoon intellectual property and 3.56 billion won for producing diversity comics.
Advisory committee members also called for decisive steps to normalize the creation and distribution ecosystem. Kwon Hyuk-joo, president of the Korea Cartoonists Association, proposed building a database of artists so that social safety net benefits reach the field, and expanding what he called "minor league distribution support" for the new creators who graduate from college and enter the field each year.
Shin Il-sook, a cartoonist, said the government should keep up thorough tracking and enforcement against illegal distribution. "Artists felt a real improvement in their income when enforcement against illegal sites such as Newtoki was stepped up," she said.