YLab

What YLab does

YLab Corporation is a Seoul-headquartered, KOSDAQ-listed (ticker 432430) webtoon production studio founded in 2010 that designs, develops, and serializes original Korean digital comics. The company operates a multi-label universe strategy spanning four content franchises — SUPERSTRING (action/superhero/sci-fi), BLUESTRING (realistic youth and coming-of-age drama), REDSTRING (romance and drama), and ELIMONA (romance fantasy) — with active serialization on Korea's dominant platforms (Naver Webtoon, Kakao Page, Kakao Webtoon) and distribution into Japan, China, and English-language markets via LINE WEBTOON and COMICO. The company's IP library spans titles such as 'Terror Man,' 'Kangtawoo,' 'I Raised My Fiancé With Money,' and 'The Outsider at the Frontier,' and its Japanese entity YLAB Studios received a strategic investment of approximately 137 billion KRW from Bandai (Bandai Namco Group) in December 2023.

The company's business model is multi-pronged: (1) consumer publishing with platform revenue sharing and paid episodes on Naver and Kakao; (2) professional translation and localization services in five languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish) under long-standing exclusive agreements with LINE WEBTOON and COMICO and serving publishers including Shogakukan and Square Enix; (3) B2B advertising production — branded webtoons, advertisement webtoons, and promotional videos — for major Korean corporates including Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor, and NEXON; and (4) IP licensing for film, drama, and game adaptations plus merchandise (figures, T-shirts, MD products). Group structure includes wholly-owned subsidiaries YLAB Studios (animation and multimedia), YLAB Academy (webtoon training), and YLAB Earth (environmental/social initiative). YLab is led by CEO Shim Joon Kyung, with Kim Dae Wook heading YLAB Academy. Recent milestones include the January 2024 #1 Kakao Webtoon ranking of 'I Raised My Fiancé With Money' and the January 2024 expansion of YLAB Academy's headquarters in Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

Name

YLab

Legal name

YLAB Corporation

Website

https://ylab-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

YLab is a KOSDAQ-listed Seoul webtoon production studio that creates original serialized digital comics across multi-genre universe labels (SUPERSTRING, BLUESTRING, ELIMONA), publishing on Naver and Kakao while providing translation, advertising production, and IP licensing services to global platforms and Korean corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Webtoon Production and Publishing

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Translation & Transcreation Services (Script/Dialogue Adaptation) (MPAHAFAD)

Keywords

• Webtoon production
• Digital comics publishing
• Comic translation services
• IP licensing adaptation
• Brand webtoon advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Webtoon Publishing: Revenue from publishing webtoons on major Korean platforms (Naver Webtoon, Kakao Page, Kakao Webtoon) through advertising, paid episodes, and platform revenue sharing
2. Advertising Production: Creating branded webtoons, advertisement webtoons, and promotional videos for corporate clients including brand integration and product placement
3. Translation Services: Professional comic/webtoon translation and localization services for LINE WEBTOON, COMICO, Shogakukan, Square Enix, and other publishers in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish
4. IP Licensing and Media Adaptation: Licensing original IPs for film, drama, game adaptations, and merchandise (figures, t-shirts, MD products)

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YLab is a Korean webtoon production studio that creates original digital comic IP under multi-label universe brands (SUPERSTRING, BLUESTRING, REDSTRING, ELIMONA) and distributes the content on major Korean platforms (Naver Webtoon, Kakao Page, Kakao Webtoon) and international platforms (LINE WEBTOON, COMICO). The company also provides professional translation/localization services for webtoons in multiple languages, B2B brand advertising content production (brand webtoons and promotional videos) for corporate clients, and media-mix IP adaptation licensing into film, drama, games, and merchandise.

Product overview

YLab is a webtoon (digital comic) production company operating a multi-label portfolio strategy. The company produces original webtoon content under distinct themed universes: SUPERSTRING (action/sci-fi), BLUESTRING (youth/teen drama), and ELIMONA (romance/fantasy). Beyond content creation, YLab provides integrated services including advertising production (brand webtoons, promotional videos), professional translation/localization (serving LINE WEBTOON, COMICO, Shogakukan, Square Enix), and media mix IP expansion (film, drama, game adaptations, merchandise). The company operates primarily on NAVER Webtoon and international platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELIMONA: A label/brand under YLAB for publishing romance fantasy webtoons, including titles like 'I Raised My Fiancé With Money' and 'The Outsider at the Frontier'.
• SUPERSTRING
• BLUESTRING
• REDSTRING

Products and services

• SUPERSTRING

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WEBTOON Entertainment: Naver's webtoon platform and content arm operating LINE WEBTOON globally and Wattpad. YLab's exclusive translation partnership with LINE WEBTOON makes it a key content supplier and operational parallel — both produce and distribute serialized digital comics across multiple languages.
• Kakao Entertainment: Kakao's content and media arm operating Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon, the largest Korean webtoon distribution platforms alongside Naver. Direct parallel platform-publisher structure and primary domestic distribution partner for YLab content.
• Lezhin Entertainment: Korean webtoon platform and content studio operating Lezhin Comics globally. Direct competitor producing and distributing serialized digital comics with overlapping Korean and international reach.
• Tapas Media: English-language digital comics platform with both user-generated and professionally produced serialized content. Comparable webtoon-style publishing model targeting Western audiences, the same international expansion YLab is pursuing via LINE WEBTOON.
• Tappytoon: Global webtoon publishing platform operated by Contents Lab Blue, distributing Korean-origin webtoons in English and other languages. Direct distribution parallel and competing content catalog to YLab's international offering.
• Piccoma: Japanese webtoon and manga app operated by Kakao Japan. Competes directly with YLab Studios for Japanese-market serialized content consumption and is the most relevant regional platform peer for YLab's Japan expansion.
• Bookcube (Boktoon): Korean webtoon production and distribution studio with its own Boktoon platform. Closest direct Korean studio peer — producing original IP for serialized digital comics on competing Korean platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Shogakukan: Major Japanese traditional publisher (part of Hitotsubashi Group) and YLab's translation services client. Operates Manga One and other digital comics products; broader publishing portfolio overlaps with YLab's IP licensing ambitions but is not a serialized webtoon specialist.
• Square Enix: Japanese games and manga publisher (Manga UP!, Gangan) and a YLab translation client. Overlaps with YLab at the IP publishing and translation interface, but its primary identity is games and traditional manga, not serialized webtoon production.
• Tencent Comics / Yuewen Group: Chinese webtoon and digital literature conglomerate under Tencent, operating platforms serving Chinese-language markets. Adjacent webtoon platform with geographic overlap (China) but is part of a much broader digital content portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJKVkqDJDIEhjwURJEF3FZA
• Facebookfacebook.com/ylab.kr
• Instagraminstagram.com/ylabcomics
• Xx.com/y_lab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ylabcorp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YLab