Solo Leveling publisher accused of exploiting artists, using webtoons to train AI

Naver Webtoon - the largest digital comic platform in Korea, which has published titles such as Solo Leveling, True Beauty, Tower of God... is being accused of exploiting labor and taking advantage of the creativity of young artists.

A few years ago, the author of Solo Leveling suddenly withdrew his story from Naver Webtoon even though he was at the peak of his fame. Perhaps unfair and harsh working conditions were the reason - Photo: A-1 Pictures

According to Anime News Network reporter Wonhee Cho, the allegations against Nave Webtoon (publisher of Solo Leveling ; Tower of God ...) were raised during a hearing in the Korean National Assembly , when Shin-a Ha - head of the Korean Webtoon Authors Association - testified.

She said many artists were forced to work without pay during the project development phase, which could take years.

Solo Leveling and Tower of God publishers force artists to work for free

The union describes the situation as “unpaid labor.” According to artists, winners of the company’s auditions are typically required to produce three to eight completed volumes before being given a formal contract.

During that time, they also had to constantly edit the plot and design characters according to the editor's requests - all without compensation.

It is undeniable that Webtoon is the golden door for many young comic authors in Korea to shine with millions of reads every week, but not everyone is so lucky - Photo: Naver

One artist shared: "I have edited dozens of times, and every time there is a new editor, I have to start over from scratch. After a year, there is still no official contract."

Ms Shin-a Ha added that many artists have quit due to financial and mental exhaustion. Some have even been forced to post stories on the platform without any contracts.

Even after signing the contract, many terms are still considered unfair.

According to union representatives, Naver Webtoon retain a portion of the copyright indefinitely and have the right to use the work for AI training purposes without the author's consent.

Artists also have to ask for permission if they want to collaborate with other companies or teach, and Naver even takes a percentage of the income from lectures or media appearances.

The result of monopoly

Shin-a Ha commented that Naver Webtoon can impose such terms because it has a near monopoly on the webtoon market in Korea: "Their position is equivalent to Netflix or YouTube in the video industry. To be successful, artists are forced to publish on this platform."

A webtoon artist with 10 years of experience in Korea told Anime News Network : "Competitions on other platforms are almost ignored. Anyone who wants to become a professional author has to choose Naver."

As Naver Webtoon continues to expand its international influence, the gap between the company's commercial success and the real lives of its artists seems to be growing - Photo: Naver

Market dominance allows Naver Webtoon to control royalties, production schedules, and episode lengths.

Artists are also frustrated by the lack of transparency in revenue. One author posting stories on Naver Webtoon revealed: "The company can keep up to 90% of international revenue, at best only 70%.

However, many people still accept it because the rest is enough to live. But we have absolutely no real data: how many people read it for free, what the actual views are, how the ads are distributed."

In the future, Webtoon will continue to grow even stronger, especially after the historic deal with Disney and the growing power of Korean culture in the world - Photo: Crunchyrolls

“Naver benefits from our innovation, but hides business information and does not improve its profit-sharing model,” the author stressed.

While the CEO received up to 30 million USD in bonuses and shares after the IPO (initial public offering), no author received a commensurate reward.

A representative of Naver Webtoon said before the hearing: "As far as we know, there are currently no cases of unpaid royalties. If there are any violations, the company will review and correct them. We value authors and are working to build a better creative environment."

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hang-phat-hanh-solo-leveling-bi-to-boc-lot-hoa-si-dung-webtoon-de-huan-luyen-ai-20251107151252053.htm