• Smart Media Journal
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.76-83
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• 2023

This study proposes a method to assist webtoon artists in the process of webtoon creation by utilizing a pretrained Text-to-Image model to generate webtoon images from text. The proposed approach involves fine-tuning a pretrained Stable Diffusion model using a webtoon dataset transformed into the desired webtoon style. The fine-tuning process, using LoRA technique, completes in a quick training time of approximately 4.5 hours with 30,000 steps. The generated images exhibit the representation of shapes and backgrounds based on the input text, resulting in the creation of webtoon-like images. Furthermore, the quantitative evaluation using the Inception score shows that the proposed method outperforms DCGAN-based Text-to-Image models. If webtoon artists adopt the proposed Text-to-Image model for webtoon creation, it is expected to significantly reduce the time required for the creative process.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2018

This study investigated the differences of message effect by product types and placement types of webtoon PPL(Product Placement). The study have tried to find effective webtoon PPL type and product type to minimized consumers' advertising avoidance. For analysis, two-way between subject design was produced by product types(utilitarian and hedonic product) and webtoon PPL placdement types(image, insert, and combination type). In results, there was a difference by PPL placement types for brand attitude. In special, the insert type had highly positive brad attitude. For webtoon contents, highly positive attitude was discovered in the cases of the hedonic product and the insert type of webtoon PPL.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.61-67
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• 2018

This media conversion in which webtoons are remediated to movies and dramas has taken off since the mid-2000s. Webtoons may be favorable for media conversion into movies and dramas as the story as finished and has proven to be fun with a fixed readership: however, only a small number of webtoon were successful box office hits or received high viewer ratings. Then in 2017, the movie based on the webtoon, succeed in attracting more more then 10 million viewers. In this regard, this study derived the success factors by comparing and analyzing the narrative structure and visual elements of , which was the biggest hit movie, with the original webtoon. The case analysis showed that there are two necessary elements for success: a text configuration of strategy optimized for media conversion, which is based on understanding the different media characteristics of webtoon and movie; and a configuration strategy that exaggerates the personalities of the characters and compresses the story of a webtoon which features various events and many characters in a long series, in consideration of the characteristics of movie which needs to give a big impact in 2 hours.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.39-53
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• 2020

Purpose: With a rapid advance of communication technology, distributional systems of sport contents continue to show improvements. In particular, a traditional framework in creating sport cartoon has been influenced by the environment of the communication industry. Despite the development of distributional systems, the current sport cartoon industry still lacks in advancement. To this day, various research about sport contents have been conducted; yet, not many studies of the interaction between sport cartoons and communication technology have been done. In this respect, this study is to review the distributional environment of the sport cartoon industry and provide distributional strategies for developing sport cartoon industry. Research design, data, and methodology: In addition to in-depth interviews with five practitioners in sport cartoon industry, the study employed case study methodology. Interview data were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Results: With new environments allowing anyone allowing to create and share webtoons, various genres including sports webtoons appear, and this became amotive to the growth of sports webtoons. Today, sports comics acted as a sports advertisement platform which not only created additional profit but also became an opportunity as a marketing method. On the contrary, the formal attributes of webtoons cause hardship in consistently creating sports webtoons. Hence, it is needed that supporting policies need to be established to nurture sport webtoon expertise. For example, Korea Creative Content Agency allows future webtoon authors to have an opportunity to be educated and equipped in producing creative sport webtoon contents. Moreover, revenue systems should be developed for motivating webtoon authors to involve in sport contents in their works. Conclusions: In order to promote the sports cartoon industry based on the findings, it is first necessary to create sports comics that reflect the formal characteristics of webtoons and the changing consumer environment. Second, it is important to acknowledge the industrial value of sports comics and it is necessary to promote policies regarding sports webtoon production and distribution from a national level. Third, by diversifying profits through OSMU and sports advertisements, it is possible to enhance the work environment and the treatment of authors. Implications and future directions were discussed.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.45
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• pp.127-146
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• 2016

The most presentative case would be functional evolution of webtoon as a contents business model, which has taken a initiating role in both innovated strategic experiments and outcomes. Most of all, There are the launch of PPS(Page Profit Sharing) sevice in NAVER webtoon, the paid service model implementation in KAKAOpage and potential business as an exclusive application in Lezhin entertainment This study to analyze these phenomina and results can figure out how the business model in the webtoon platform is developed in various fields diversely and what makes this model evolved and extended. Especially, the diversification of the webtoon platform has been received attention since it pursued the grouped spin off through horizontal convergence and transformational expansion among similar platforms, and also this shows that which factors enhance these phenomina to be controled and expanded. On the basis of the result of this study, we try to find the way to connect business vision of the domestic webtoon platform with affiliated business. Furthermore, it proposes the interrelationship between this and the business strategy for overseas in the globalized platform.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.147-153
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• 2022

Most of the metaverse service is a gamification type of metaverse solution composed by placing 3D objects on a 360 panoramic world base. However, the metaverse webtoon service is lacking in implementation and research. In this study, a method for realizing a 2D flat image form in a 3D space and a realistic 360-degree panoramic webtoon metaverse service were studied. The research process consisted of basic storytelling and design work for webtoon production, panoramic image creation to convert the produced image into 360-degree form, and content creation process for viewing 360-degree directions. Finally, we implemented shading and material work with game engine tools so that you can enjoy virtual reality-based webtoons. The webtoon-based metaverse study studied the process of creating a 360-degree panoramic webtoon from content that can only be viewed in 2D format. Accordingly, it is thought that webtoons will also be presented as a standard for the production and implementation method for the metaverse service.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.51
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• pp.181-201
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• 2018

The cartoon industry in Korea has continued to decline due to the contraction of published comics market and decrease in the number of comic books rental stores until the 2000s when it rapidly started to experience qualitative changes and quantitative growth due to the emergence of webtoon. The market size of webtoon industry, valued at 420 billion won in 2015, is expected to grow to 880.5 billion won by 2018. Notably, most cartoonists who draw cartoon strips are using digital devices and producing scripts in data, thereby overcoming the geographical, spatial and physical limitation of contents. As a result, a favorable environment for the creation of local ecosystems is generated. While the infrastructures of human resources are steadily growing by region, cartoon industries that are supported by the government policy have shown good performance combined with factors of creative infrastructures in local areas such as webtoon experience centers, webtoon campuses and webtoon creation centers, etc. Nevertheless, it is true that cartoon infrastructures are substantially based on a capital area which leads to an imbalanced structure of cartoon industry. To see the statistics, companies of offline cartoon business in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province make up 87%, except for distribution industry. In addition, companies of online cartoon business which are situated outside of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province form merely 7.5%. Studies and research on local webtoon are inadequate. The existing studies on local webtoon usually focus on its industrial and economic values, mentioning the word "local" only sometimes. Therefore, this study looked into the current status of local webtoon of the present time for the current state of local cartoon ecosystem, middle and long-term support from the government, and an alternative in the future. Main challenges include the expansion of opportunities to enjoy cartoon cultures, the independence of cartoon infrastructure, and the settlement of regionally specialized cartoon cultures. It means that, in order to enable the cartoon ecosystem to settle down in local areas, it is vital to utilize and link basic infrastructures. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider independence and autonomy beyond the limited support by the government. Finally, webtoon should be designated as a culture, which can be a new direction of the development of local webtoon. Furthermore, desirable models should be continuously researched and studied, which are suitable for each region and connect them with regional tourism, culture and art industry. It will allow the webtoon industry to soft land in the industry. Local webtoon, which is a growth engine of regions and main contents of the fourth industrial revolution, is expected to be a momentum for the decentralization of power and reindustrialization of regions.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.293-301
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• 2017

This study collects 112 webtoon advertisements by Google extended search to reveal the narratives of webtoon in persuasive communication context. The results of content analysis are as follows. First, product categories are found relatively more in number such as content and game, cosmetics, public service announcement than other products. Second, the number of webtoon advertisements has increased these seven years; rather drastic increase is found in 2013. Third, as for the origin, brand webtoon is the largest number of all types. Fourth, there is a significant difference between public interest products and commercial products in absurdity advertising number. Commercial products use a variety of genres such as romance, drama, everyday life, including absurdity, while public interest products focus mainly on everyday life.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.51
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• pp.255-291
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• 2018

The domestic cartoon industry has went through rapid reformation since 2010 incurred by the emergence of webtoon. Most of the students in cartoon schools long to become webtoonists rather than published cartoonists. Cartoon education in middle and high schools rather focuses on webtoons. The growth of webtoons in private education, excluding college entrance examination, is even more promising. In the same train of thought, the number of webtoon private education institution has surged exponentially. Despite provincial colleges experiencing difficulty due to the lack of the student population, the competition for cartoon admission is intensifying. However, college education often maintains curriculums that do not relate to the on-site demands. Cartoon education in the past was mostly carried out through apprenticeship programs. However such programs began to disappear as college education became more common and as people embraced the emergence of webtoons. Instead collective education and author debut programs replaced the old system. Individualization of education is exacerbating as digital writing tools allow individual webtoonists to publish their works on a weekly basis. The background of the growth of webtoon education can obviously be explained by the growth of the market but there are aspects that can't be explained in such a simple manner. This study examines the current webtoon education status and discusses possible methodological and formation development measures for the future. The introduction examines the change in education and market. The main subject examines the current secondary schools and universities cartoon education and conducts a comprehensive study on the various education related changes. This study proposes future directions for universities by looking at the webtoon era and education changes in the conclusion. It also researched how the units of college cartoon education will fuse and deduct practical results via government policies.

• The Journal of Bigdata
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.173-185
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• 2022

Nowadays, Korean webtoons are leading the global digital comic market. Webtoons are being serviced in various languages around the world, and dramas or movies produced with Webtoons' IP (Intellectual Property Rights) have become a big hit, and more and more webtoons are being visualized. However, with the success of these webtoons, the working environment of webtoon creators is emerging as an important issue. According to the 2021 Cartoon User Survey, webtoon creators spend 10.5 hours a day on creative activities on average. Creators have to draw large amount of pictures every week, and competition among webtoons is getting fiercer, and the amount of paintings that creators have to draw per episode is increasing. Therefore, this study proposes to generate webtoon background images using deep learning algorithms and use them for webtoon production. The main character in webtoon is an area that needs much of the originality of the creator, but the background picture is relatively repetitive and does not require originality, so it can be useful for webtoon production if it can create a background picture similar to the creator's drawing style. Background generation uses CycleGAN, which shows good performance in image-to-image translation, and CartoonGAN, which is specialized in the Cartoon style image generation. This deep learning-based image generation is expected to shorten the working hours of creators in an excessive work environment and contribute to the convergence of webtoons and technologies.