ABSTRACT
This chapter explains webtoons' transnationalization process. It explains the distinctive forms of webtoon Hallyu as a new component of the Korean Wave and documents the evolution of Korean webtoons according to the surrounding new media ecology since the late 1990s. By identifying various historical breakthroughs, the chapter examines how webtoons have become one of Korea's signature forms of youth culture in the digital era. The chapter then analyzes webtoon's global reach in two different forms: the transnationalization of webtoons themselves and the form of transnational transmediality by mapping out the ways in which webtoons have become a source for big-screen cultures, such as television dramas, films, and games. Finally, the chapter addresses various implications of webtoon Hallyu in the contemporary Korean cultural industries, which are rapidly becoming part of the global cultural industries.
