Naver Webtoon is accelerating its global market expansion through partnerships with top-tier media companies and localized services tailored to readers in each country, under the banner of "globalizing webtoons."
According to industry sources on the 28th, Webtoon Entertainment, Naver Webtoon's U.S. headquarters, will exclusively serialize "Mickey X Formula1® Core Collection"—a webtoon produced in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company—on its global platform ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 racing season. The first episode will be released to coincide with the Australian Grand Prix opening on March 6, with new stories updated every weekend throughout the F1 season. The series depicts Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters striving to help a racing team in crisis.
Naver Webtoon is pursuing a strategy to raise its local profile by strengthening partnerships with U.S. media companies. Last year, the company signed partnerships with major studios including The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Animation, and has received strong response for webtoon adaptations of Disney-owned global hits such as "The Amazing Spider-Man," "Avengers," and "Star Wars."
In Asian markets, the company is focusing on "fandom enhancement" and "customer-friendly services." A prime example is the introduction of Japanese language service for "Character Chat," an AI-based chatting feature. This function, which allows users to converse with characters from webtoons, is seen as a strategy to target Japanese readers who show strong attachment to characters. The company has also introduced webtoon adaptations of popular Japanese titles including "Parasyte," "Hell's Paradise," and "Slam Dunk." A pop-up store held at Dream Mall in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from January 30 to February 8 demonstrated strong local interest, with long lines forming even before opening.
Behind Naver Webtoon's concentrated focus on overseas markets lies the steep growth trajectory of the global webtoon market. Webtoons are considered content with significant expansion potential due to their low cultural barriers and excellent mobile accessibility. In fact, more than 60% of Webtoon Entertainment's cumulative revenue of $1.052 billion as of the end of the third quarter last year—$655.7 million—was generated overseas.
A Naver Webtoon spokesperson said, "Based on our technological and format competitiveness and global platform operation capabilities, we plan to continue expanding collaborations with various partners while strengthening our IP reinterpretation and global distribution strategies."
