In the past decade, the popularity of Internet cartoons has soared.
Popular pieces are produced again in forms of movies or dramas, and corporations make goods featuring popular online cartoon characters. The popularity of the format is tremendous enough that a brand-new term, Webtoonists, has been coined to describe its creators.
Though Webtoons are a hit, they can still be controversial. Last year, the Korean government tried to designate some webtoons as being harmful to juveniles, reasoning that depictions of sexuality and violence could be a negative influence on teenagers. The conflict between government authority and the cartoon world has ended with a compromise to self-regulate.
“The Korean cartoon market was greatly shrunk when the government began to censor authors’ expression and restrict their imagination. I hope the tragedy [will not] recur in the name of juvenile protection,” said Seung Yeon Oh, 40, an office worker in Gwangju and a big fan of cartoons.
