Alliance reflects Disney’s push to extend the life of its IP and signals a new pathway for Korean content to scale internationally
(Naver Webtoon) The Walt Disney Company has finalized its strategic partnership with Webtoon Entertainment in a deal expected to accelerate the global expansion of Korean webtoons while supporting Disney’s broader push to further monetize its content library.
Disney acquired a roughly 2 percent equity stake in Webtoon Entertainment on Thursday, according to filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Webtoon Entertainment, which debuted on the Nasdaq in June 2024, is the parent company of Naver Webtoon, a pioneering Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004.
The transaction involved the purchase of 2,666,757 shares of common stock for a total consideration of $32.77 million, at a par value of $0.0001 per share.
The investment follows plans first outlined in September 2025, when the two companies disclosed that they had signed a nonbinding term sheet under which Disney would take a 2 percent equity stake in Webtoon Entertainment and jointly develop a new digital comics platform for global audiences. The term sheet outlined the framework of the partnership but did not constitute a legally binding agreement.
With the equity transaction now complete, the rollout of the jointly developed digital comics platform is expected to gain momentum.
The forthcoming platform, whose launch date and branding have yet to be revealed, will host approximately 35,000 titles drawn from Disney’s extensive IP catalog, including Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar and 20th Century Studios. Select original titles from Webtoon Entertainment’s own slate will also be featured.
Content on the platform will span multiple formats. Some titles will be adapted into Webtoon’s idiosyncratic vertical-scroll format, while others will be offered as digitized versions of traditional print comics. Webtoon Entertainment will lead platform development and day-to-day operations.
The deal comes as Webtoon Entertainment continues to deepen its footprint in the US market, capitalizing on the industry-wide shift from print comics to mobile-first, digital consumption. Market research firm Grand View Research projected the US webtoon market will grow from $1.98 billion in 2024 to $8.72 billion by 2033, representing a compound annual growth rate of 16.5 percent.
For Disney, the move aligns with a broader strategic recalibration as the company looks to further monetize its content library through licensing and IP-driven businesses, amid slower growth in its IP operations compared with its theme park and experiences division. In its fiscal Q4 2025 earnings, Disney reported that its Q4 operating income in the entertainment sector declined $376 million year over year to $691 million, due to factors including weaker theatrical comparisons and a $368 million drop in content sales and licensing revenue.
The partnership between Disney and Webtoon Entertainment could carry broader implications for Korea’s content ecosystem, which, despite its outsized cultural influence through K-pop and TV dramas, has lacked the kind of global retail and distribution channels needed to turn original IP into enduring, high-value franchises.
A report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry released last year found that no Korean IP ranks among the world’s top 50, while the US claims 32, Japan seven, and China and France two each. The report revealed that the combined revenue from IPs owned by 32 US companies alone totals roughly $242 billion — equivalent to about 13 percent of Korea’s gross domestic product.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com