Busan's Global Webtoon Festival Turns Ten: 800 Works and 190 Artists Celebrate a Decade of Digital Comics

BUSAN, 28 October 2026 — The city of Busan will host the 10th Busan Global Webtoon Festival for three days from 30 October to 1 November, bringing together about 800 works by more than 190 webtoon artists from South Korea and abroad under the theme "Ten Years, One Story," according to the Seoul Economic Daily.

Illustration: Colorful webtoon art panels on display at a festival exhibition hall in Busan.

What Happened

The festival will take place at Museum Won and the Busan Culture Content Complex in the city's Haeundae district, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m., according to local listings. It is the tenth edition of an event that has grown alongside the webtoon medium itself, from a local celebration of digital comics into an international gathering of artists, companies, universities and readers.

This year's program includes a special exhibition reviewing the past decade of the festival and the medium, and a drawing talk show in which artists discuss their creative experiences and sketch on site. Business consultations and a conference involving overseas artists and publishing officials will support the commercial side of the art form, helping creators develop overseas sales channels and turn popular series into broader businesses.

Public participation is built into the program rather than added on. Visitors will be able to take part in a family cartoon drawing contest and caricature sessions, alongside exhibitions of webtoon works and stage programs that bring artists and audiences onto the same platform. University booths representing webtoon-related schools will sit alongside exhibition and experience booths run by companies and institutions, so visitors can follow the path from creation to industry in a single venue.

Background

Webtoons are digital comics designed to be read by scrolling vertically on a phone or computer screen, and they were born in South Korea in the early days of internet culture. Where traditional comics were printed in panels across a page, webtoons were built for the screen from the start: long vertical strips, episodes released on a schedule, and a direct relationship between creators and readers through comments, likes and subscriptions.

That format proved extraordinarily portable. As smartphones spread, webtoons travelled with them, and South Korean platforms built global audiences for series that began as small online strips. Successful webtoons have since been adapted into television dramas, films, games and merchandise, making the medium one of the most recognizable faces of the Korean cultural wave — less famous than K-pop or K-drama, but woven into daily reading habits for millions of people around the world.

Busan, South Korea's second city and its great port on the south-eastern coast, has made the festival part of its cultural calendar. The festival's setting in Haeundae, the city's famous beach district, and its mix of exhibition, education and industry events reflect how the city sees the medium: not only as entertainment, but as a creative industry that trains artists, employs writers and illustrators, and exports stories.

Illustration: A webtoon artist sketches on a digital tablet before a live festival audience.

Why It Matters

A tenth anniversary is a natural moment to take stock, and the festival's theme — "Ten Years, One Story" — captures why this edition matters beyond its own weekend. Ten years of a festival is also ten years of a medium growing up: from an experimental online format into a professional industry with schools, companies, contracts and international markets. The presence of more than 190 artists and some 800 works shows a creative ecosystem, not just a handful of hits.

The festival also matters because of how it treats its audience. Too many cultural events separate the professionals from the public; Busan's program deliberately mixes them. Aspiring creators can watch working artists draw live, attend talk shows, and join drawing contests, while companies and publishers hold business consultations in the same venue. That blend of celebration and commerce is how a creative industry renews itself: new talent meets established artists, and readers meet the people behind the stories they follow every week.

For the wider cultural world, the festival is a reminder that the most influential art forms of the digital age did not all come from the traditional centres of publishing or film. Webtoons came from South Korea's internet culture, found their audience one vertical scroll at a time, and are now a global format. A festival that has lasted ten years is evidence that the format has staying power — and that its stories, like all good stories, travel well beyond the place where they were first drawn.

What Happens Next

The festival opens on Friday 30 October with its opening ceremony, attended by webtoon officials and participating artists, and runs through Sunday 1 November. Over the three days, visitors can expect the full program of exhibitions, artist talk shows, business consultations and public participation events at the Busan Culture Content Complex and Museum Won.

Beyond the weekend, the conversations started at the festival — about overseas markets, adaptations, and training the next generation of creators — will continue in the deals and collaborations that follow. For the artists, the festival is a shop window; for the industry, it is a meeting point; and for readers, it is a rare chance to step inside the world of the vertical strip and see how their favourite stories are made.

If the past decade is any guide, the next ten years of webtoons will be shaped by the creators who are discovered at events like this one — young artists sketching live on stage, families trying their hand at cartoon drawing, and students visiting university booths to imagine a career in comics. Busan's tenth festival celebrates where the medium has been; its real significance may be in who it inspires next.

Illustration: Visitors enjoy webtoon exhibitions at the Busan Culture Content Complex during the festival.

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FAQ

What is the Busan Global Webtoon Festival?

It is a festival devoted entirely to webtoons — digital comics designed to be read by scrolling vertically on a screen. It brings together webtoon artists, related companies, universities and the public for exhibitions, talk shows and hands-on programs.

When and where is the 2026 festival held?

The 10th Busan Global Webtoon Festival runs from 30 October to 1 November 2026 at Museum Won and the Busan Culture Content Complex in Busan's Haeundae district, with the opening ceremony on Friday at 5 p.m.

What is this year's theme and scale?

The theme is "Ten Years, One Story," marking the festival's tenth edition. The program features about 800 works by more than 190 webtoon artists from South Korea and abroad.

What can visitors do at the festival?

Visitors can view exhibitions of webtoon works, watch artists draw and talk live on stage, join a family cartoon drawing contest and caricature sessions, and visit university and company booths showing how webtoons are created and brought to market.

Why are webtoons culturally significant?

Webtoons began in South Korea as internet comics built for scrolling on screens, and have grown into a global format adapted into dramas, films and games. The festival celebrates that journey and supports the creators and businesses behind it.

Sources

• Seoul Economic Daily, "Busan Global Webtoon Festival Opens on the 30th," 27 October 2026.
• Haps Korea, "What's On in Busan: October 26 – November 1," 2026 (10th Busan Global Webtoon Festival listing).
• HypeCity, "Events and Festivals in Korea" (Busan Global Webtoon Festival program details), 2026.