What SEOUL MEDIA COMICS does

Seoul Media Comics is a South Korean content publishing company that produces and distributes comics, manga, webtoons, light novels, and web novels across print and digital formats. Founded in 1988 as the comics division of Seoul Cultural Publishers, the company was spun off in 2018 as an independent entity (주)서울미디어코믹스, led by CEO Oh Tae-yeop (오태엽), and is headquartered at 192 Mallijae-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio of imprints covering domestic webtoons (Jump, Jump Plus, Wink), web novels targeting female readers (WET Novel, Maribel, Rev), and an in-house production studio (Studio Naulbom), while importing and distributing major international manga titles such as Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, and Fruits Basket.

The company's digital infrastructure centers on its self-operated platform M Witch Comics (마녀코믹스) for webtoon and web novel distribution, complemented by partnerships with major domestic Korean content platforms. A dedicated Digital division handles digitization of print titles and digital-original production, while a separate Rights division manages export/import licensing of content IP and conducts global market analysis. The company also operates a subsidiary brand, iSMG. Revenue is generated through print book sales (one-time licensing), digital subscriptions on owned and partner platforms, and licensing royalties from cross-border content rights trading, with stated emphasis on OSMU (One Source Multi Use) exploitation of its IP.

The company serves two distinct customer segments: end-consumer readers of Korean and international comics/novels across genres and age groups, and B2B international publishers/platforms licensing Korean IP. Distribution combines consumer-direct channels (own digital platform, retail print, marketplace platforms) with enterprise channels (rights licensing to overseas publishers). The company explicitly positions its 30-year heritage and catalog as a differentiator, branding itself as 만화의 종가 ("the original family of comics").

Name

SEOUL MEDIA COMICS

Legal name

(주)서울미디어코믹스

Website

https://seoulmediacomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Seoul Media Comics is a Seoul-based Korean content publisher producing and licensing comics, webtoons, novels, and web novels across multiple imprints, distributing Korean IP domestically via its M Witch Comics platform and licensing internationally through a dedicated Rights division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manga and Web Novel Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (51313), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Manhwa Publishing (Korean Comics) (MPAJAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ), Licensed & Franchise Comics Publishing (Film/TV/Game Tie-ins) (MPAJAGAH), Regional/Local Market Publishers & Distributors (Territory Rights, Localization-led Publishing) (MPAFABAH)

Keywords

• Manga publishing
• Webtoon publishing
• Web novel publishing
• Content licensing
• Digital comics distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Yongsan

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Publishing (Print Comics and Novels): Traditional publishing of comics through owned imprints (Jump, Jump Plus, Wink, WET Novel, Maribel, Rev) and novels (Light novels, BL, romance). Content distributed through retail channels.
2. Digital Content Distribution: Digital service of published works and original digital content production through owned platform (마녀코믹스) and domestic platform partnerships.
3. Rights Licensing (Export/Import): License contract business for comics/novels/webtoon/webnovel content. Export of domestic content and import of international content.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

Seoul Media Comics publishes domestic Korean comics and novels through multiple branded imprints (Jump, Jump Plus, Wink, WET Novel, Maribel, Rev, and Studio Naulbom) and distributes internationally licensed manga titles such as Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, and Boys Over Flowers. The company operates the proprietary M Witch Comics (마녀코믹스) digital platform for direct webtoon and web novel distribution, and runs a Rights division that handles export and import licensing contracts for Korean and overseas content.

Product overview

Seoul Media Comics operates a multi-brand content publishing business centered on webtoons, web novels, print manga, and light novels. The company manages several distinct webtoon imprints—Jump Plus, Jump, Wink, and Studio Naulbom—for domestic content creation and publication, while the WET Novel, Maribel, and Rev imprints publish web novels targeting female readers. The company also imports and distributes major international manga titles including Dragon Ball, Detective Conan, and Boys Over Flowers. Distribution is handled through the proprietary M Witch Comics (마녀코믹스) platform for self-published digital content, while a dedicated Digital division manages platform distribution and digital-original content production. A separate Rights division oversees export/import licensing and global market expansion, complemented by the iSMG subsidiary. The portfolio spans both offline publishing (print manga/novels) and online digital channels, with OSMU (One Source Multi Use) development driving cross-media IP utilization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 마녀코믹스: 자사 플랫폼 - 웹툰/웹소설 디지털 콘텐츠 제공 플랫폼 (Self-operated platform for webtoon/web novel digital content)

Products and services

• M Witch Comics (마녀코믹스) Platform Proprietary digital content platform operated by Seoul Media Comics that distributes the company's self-published webtoons and web novels directly to readers.
• Jump (점프) Major webtoon imprint under Seoul Media Comics publishing domestic action, adventure, comedy, and fantasy titles.
• Jump Plus (점프 플러스) Webtoon imprint under Seoul Media Comics publishing action and adventure-focused original works and adaptations.
• Wink (윙크) Webtoon imprint under Seoul Media Comics featuring romantic and dramatic titles such as Night Walker Scholar, Tiara, and Time Share House.
• Studio Naulbom (스튜디오 늘봄) In-house webtoon planning, creation, and editing studio that develops original content for the company's webtoon portfolio, operating under the tagline #언제나_봄 #늘_보는_만화.
• WET Novel (WET노블) Web novel imprint under Seoul Media Comics specializing in BL, romance fantasy, and romance genres targeted at female readers, publishing titles such as 뭣이 굵은디? and 푸른 장미.
• Maribel (마리벨) Web novel imprint under Seoul Media Comics publishing romance and BL content including Manner Mode, Pyeonryeon Chronicle, and Conditions of Marriage.
• Rev (레브) Web novel imprint under Seoul Media Comics featuring fantasy and historical romance titles such as A Sword for the Dowry, Busy Princess Today, and Sister of King Sejong.
• iSMG Subsidiary brand of Seoul Media Comics operating as a separate business unit within the corporate group.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Shogakukan: Major Japanese manga publisher (rights holder of Detective Conan, etc.); directly comparable as a content licensor feeding into Seoul Media Comics' Korean distribution business.
• Kodansha: Japanese publisher of major manga franchises; rights holder/source licensor for many of the imported titles Seoul Media Comics sells in Korea through its Jump and Content2 imprints.

Emerging players

• Lezhin Comics: Korean webtoon platform with original content production capabilities and strong tilt toward mature/BL genres overlapping with Seoul Media Comics' Wink, WET Novel, Maribel imprints.
• Tappytoon (ContentFirst): Digital comics platform specializing in licensed and original webtoons in English; a comparable digitally-led player licensing Korean content internationally alongside Seoul Media Comics' Rights business.

Broad incumbents

• Webtoon Entertainment (Naver Webtoon): The dominant Korean-origin digital comics platform and publisher; operates globally and represents the principal channel/distributor relationship that publishers like Seoul Media Comics depend on for reach.
• Kakao Entertainment (Kakao Page / Piccoma): Major Korean digital content platform for webtoons and web novels; both a critical distribution partner and a competitive publisher across the same genres (BL, romance fantasy) that Seoul Media Comics targets.

Direct peers

• Haksan Culture Company: Korean publisher specializing in manga localization and original comics; comparable print-and-digital publishing model importing major Japanese franchises and operating competing imprint brands to Seoul Media Comics' portfolio.
• Daewon Media (Daewon C&I): Korea's largest manga publisher, publishing Japanese and Korean titles across C.I. Next, Young Champ, etc. Both publish Korean-licensed Japanese manga (Dragon Ball, Detective Conan class titles) and develop domestic content; closest direct Korean peer by business model.
• Sigongsa: Korean publishing house with strong manga/novel light novel offerings (e.g., 'Ridibooks' legacy) across multiple imprints; operates in the same print+light novel+web novel categories as Seoul Media Comics.

Regional players

• Bookcube (북큐브) / Ridibooks: Korean e-book and web novel platform with publishing ambitions; partner/competitor for digital distribution of Seoul Media Comics' web novel and webtoon titles domestically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SEOUL MEDIA COMICS