Naver Webtoon said on the 24th that it will release a webtoon to thank users as it marks the 20th anniversary of opening its Korea service.
As the first installment, Naver Webtoon released a special commemorative webtoon, "20th anniversary masterpiece theater." This commemorative webtoon features creator Jo Seok of "Sound of your heart" and creator Beombae of "Gijamae," who look back on the works that have shone on Naver Webtoon over the past 20 years. Starting with Beombae's episode uploaded on the night of the 23rd, one episode will be released sequentially every Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, for a total of 22 episodes.
Beombae presents episodes in which, due to an error in the address on the invitation to Naver Webtoon's 20th anniversary party, protagonists from various hit series come to the home of "Gijamae." The featured works total 10, including Beombae's "Gijamae," "Lee Mal-nyeon's journey to the west," "Garbage Time," True Beauty, and "Lookism."
Beombae said, "It is an honor to be able to celebrate Naver Webtoon's 20th anniversary together. I am deeply grateful to the readers who have consistently loved the works, and I thank Naver Webtoon for its efforts to create an environment where creators can work freely," adding, "Please show a lot of interest in this commemorative webtoon, and we ask for your warm support for the path of Naver Webtoon and creators going forward."
Jo Seok has prepared works that reinterpret Naver Webtoon's signature titles through the creator's perspective. Iconic scenes and characters from a total of 10 hits, including Jo's "Sound of your heart," "Noblesse," Cheese In The Trap, and "Love Revolution," will appear. Symbolic scenes from each work will be newly composed with Jo's characteristic humorous style and added wit.
Jo Seok said, "As I recalled the countless works that have been with Naver Webtoon for 20 years, memories of laughing and crying with readers of that time naturally came back," adding, "I prepared this special webtoon as a token of thanks to Naver Webtoon, which has worked to build the webtoon creation ecosystem over the past 20 years, and to my respected fellow creators. I hope readers will enjoy it together."
Naver Webtoon said that since officially opening its service in Dec. 2005, it has pioneered a new content market called webtoons over the past 20 years and built an ecosystem where the platform and creators can grow together. It said it has expanded its influence beyond Korea to the global market by introducing innovative services such as a day-of-the-week serialization system, providing a free webtoon viewing environment, and creator support programs.
Chae Yu-gi, vice president of Naver Webtoon's Korea service, said, "We sincerely thank the countless works and creators who have shone on Naver Webtoon over the past 20 years, and the readers who have loved webtoons," adding, "We hope this work will be a special experience for everyone to look back on the years gone by, and we ask for your interest in the 20th anniversary appreciation event to be additionally unveiled in Dec."