As dramas based on webtoons gain popularity, the number of readers seeking out the originals has risen sharply. Analysts say a single intellectual property (IP) is being produced in various forms such as web novels, webtoons, dramas, and films, creating a virtuous cycle in content consumption.
According to Naver Webtoon on the 15th, in the week after the release of the Tving original series "Dear X" (Nov. 6–12), domestic views of the original webtoon increased 17 times compared with the seven days before the teaser video was released (Sept. 17–23).
On WEBTOON, the North American platform, views of the original surged 40 times during the same period, and in Taiwan it once rose to No. 2 in real-time popularity rankings.
Naver Webtoon "Dear X" began serialization in July 2019 and was completed the following September with a total of 62 episodes. Although it has been more than five years since it ended, viewers who first encountered the work through the drama appear to be seeking out the original.
Attention grew as reviews said Kim Yoo-jung, who starred in the drama, resembled the webtoon protagonist Baek A-jin from expressions to a chilly aura. In the comment sections of YouTube videos related to the Naver Webtoon original and the drama, reactions included "The sync rate of actors Kim Yoo-jung and Kim Do-hoon is 100%" and "Started the webtoon after watching the drama."
JTBC's drama "The story of Director General Kim who works at a conglomerate and owns a home in Seoul" (hereinafter "The story of Director General Kim") also saw a surge in views of the webtoon of the same name after it aired. According to Naver Webtoon, in the two weeks after the first broadcast of "The story of Director General Kim" (Oct. 25–Nov. 7), webtoon views increased more than 30 times compared with the two weeks before the first teaser was released (Sept. 11–24).
The original work of "The story of Director General Kim" is a novel of the same name by writer Song Hee-gu, published in 2021. The webtoon was produced in December 2023 based on the novel and was completed this August with its 85th episode.
An official in the webtoon industry said, "We are seeing a virtuous cycle in which the popularity of adaptations leads to reconsumption of the original webtoons," adding, "We are also seeing an increase in returning readers, with not only new readers but also existing webtoon fans rewatching from the beginning."