In recent years, several popular webtoons have been adapted to K-Dramas, many have been confirmed to be getting drama adaptations and even more have already been announced. However, there is also a reverse flow happening in the drama and webtoon industry. Many popular K-Dramas and Korean films are getting webtoon adaptations! Such a cultural medium exchange allows for webtoon readers to enjoy the best of K-Dramas and K-Drama watchers to experience the best of webtoons.
Here is a list of popular K-Dramas and movies that are being turned into webtoons!
1. "Fight For My Way"
KBS / "Fight For My Way" Webtoon
Starring Park SeoJun, Kim JiWon, Ahn JaeHong and Song HaYoon in the leading roles, "Fight For My Way" is a story about the challenges of youth as well as the happiness it brings. Four best friends chase their dreams despite their better judgment and end up creating the life they have always desired for themselves while retaining their core values. It is a romantic comedy with lots of romance and lots of comedy!
While no official date has been announced yet, you can read the webtoon on Naver and Kakao when it is released!
You can know more about this webtoon here!
2. "Healer"
KBS2 / "Healer" Webtoon
Starring Yoo JiTae, Park MinYoung, and Ji ChangWook, "Healer" is about the dark side of politics and a pursuit for the truth that often gets suppressed. It is an action drama but there are also undertones of romance, making it the perfect drama for a wide variety of audiences. Now years after its broadcast, the drama is getting a webtoon adaptation.
The webtoon will be available for reading on Naver and Kakao when it begins serialization.
3. "On Your Wedding Day"
Filmmaker R & K
"On Your Wedding Day", a romance film starring Park BoYoung and Kim YoungKwang is also getting a webtoon adaptation. The film tells the story of a man and a woman who met in their school years and fell in love. However, as life would have it, they go through ups and downs in their relationship before eventually drifting apart. Later, he receives a wedding invitation and the two get their closure on her wedding day.
This webtoon will be serialized on Naver and Kakao when it is released.
4. "Bad Guys"
OCN / "Bad Guys" Webtoon
Starring superstars Ma DongSeok, Park HaeJin and Kim SangJoong, "Bad Guys" tells the unlikely story of a group of criminals led by a police detective to combat violent crimes on the rise. With a star-studded cast, this drama was incredibly popular during the time of its broadcast. Later, a second season and a film were also made for the same. Now, this drama is also getting a webtoon, speaking volumes about its lasting popularity.
This webtoon will be serialized via Naver and Kakao.
5. "Signal"
tvN / "Signal" Webtoon
One of the most highly rated and successful K-Dramas, both critically and commercially, "Signal", starring Kim HyeSoo and Lee JeHoon is getting a webtoon! "Signal" is a crime thriller with elements of time travel and fantasy where a detective from the year 2000 communicates with a criminal profiler and a veteran detective in the present time to solve a string of cold cases. "Signal" has received a J-Drama adaptation, a special episode as well as a recently released Japanese film.
"Signal", the webtoon, will also be serialized on Naver and Kakao.
6. "Melo Is My Nature"
JTBC / Newsis
This beautifully rich, funny, and poignant drama is getting a webtoon adaptation, much to the joy of fans all over the world. It tells the story of 30-year-olds and the different ways in which they navigate their circumstances while also remembering the importance of family and loved ones. It teaches moral lessons in a loveable way, making the drama both entertaining and meaningful.
The webtoon "Melo Is My Nature" will be serialized on Naver and Kakao.
7. "Extraordinary Attorney Woo"
ENA / A-Story
The currently ongoing K-Drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" which is streaming worldwide on Netflix is going to be serialized as a webtoon simultaneously alongside the drama. Starring Park EunBin, Kang TaeOh, and Kang KiYoung, the drama tells the story of the first-ever autistic attorney of the Republic of Korea.
A-Story
The production company A-Story revealed that this webtoon adaptation will be a meaningful attempt to satisfy two consumer bases at once: those who love short and intense webtoons as well as those who are patrons of long and deep dramas. The webtoon will be released in four different languages: Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese.
Update: "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" is now being serialized as a webtoon on Naver Series and Naver Webtoon, with episodes released every Thursday.
Naver Webtoon
In the recent past, "Our Beloved Summer" received a webtoon prequel that delves deeper into our protagonists' school lives. Also, the original web novel on which the currently ongoing K-Drama "Reborn Rich" is based was adapted into a webtoon months before the premiere of the K-Drama. Additionally, according to reports, the 2000 historical K-Drama "Hur Jun" and the 2008 melodrama "Temptation of Wife" will also be adapted into webtoons.
8. "Choco Milk Shake "
Strongberry
Recently the YouTube channel Strongberry has produced the BL Drama "ChocoMilkShake". The story is about JungWoo, who one day finds in front of his house two men who say to be the pets he used to own in his childhood, Choco and Milk. From friendship to love, where will this new encounter lead them? The drama has received good critics from many fans so far by presenting a new trope in the genre and having a very good cast. Matchbox Co Ltd. has signed a contract with Kidari Studio in order to produce a webtoon inspired by the web drama. Fans are very excited to meet once again with these adorable characters from the story, and so are we.
9. "King The Land"
kakaopage / JTBC
Much to the joy of fans, "King The Land" has received a prequel webtoon based on the K-Drama. This webtoon is a result of the partnership between JTBC and Kakao Entertainment. It goes beyond the scope of the drama and its universe to expand the story. As such, it will depict the first meeting between Gu Won (2PM's JunHo) and Cheon SaRang (Girls' Generation's YoonA), their childhood, youth, and future. The webtoon will continue even after the drama ends so that fans can enjoy their favorite story for a longer time. You can read the webtoon in Korean here.
10. "GyeongSeong Creatures"
Kakao Corp. / Netflix
Right at the beginning of 2024, it has been announced by Kakao Corp., that a spin-off, inspired from the drama of "Gyeongseong Creatures", would be released. The drama adaptation got quite popular, with famous actors such as Park SeoJun, and actress Han SoHee incarnating the main roles, and its second part was greatly awaited by its fans. While this second part might be the end of the story on-screen, it is not going to stop there. The spin-off, titled "Gyeongseong Creatures: The Unwithering Flower", will revolve around side characters, and show a different side of the story, unrevealed up until now. It will be lie a new story in a familiar universe. The webtoon will be out in Korea this January, its released overseas should follow not long after.
11. "My Demon"
SBS / "My Demon" by Choi AhIl on Naver Webtoon
"My Demon", starring Song Kang and Kim YouJung, have beenquite the talk lately, and it got its webtoon adaptation as well. The webtoon was released almost at the same time as the drama, and both follow a similar storyline. But if you enjoyed the drama, make sure to also check the webtoon, as it will make you discover the story a second time. Each adaptation is unique and worth the try!
We will continue to update this article, so stay tuned for more details!
Which of these webtoons are you excited about the most? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section down below!
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