Ahead of heading to Lille for her first Series Mania Forum, Studio N CEO Mikyung (Michelle) Kwon shares with ScreenMDM insights on making hit series out of successful webcomics, a theme she will dive deeper into in Lille via a panel, one of several events next week showcasing the innovation happening in the Korean content industry.
Series Mania Forum is celebrating South Korea at this year’s event. A world premiere of The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is being co-hosted by Studio N, a division of WEBTOON Entertainment, with CJ ENM at the Series Mania Festival as an official selection on March 24. The studio will also be present via a KOCCA-organized panel on the expansion of Korean webcomics featuring Kwon.
The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is based on a WEBTOON webcomic that has notched up 650 million global views. It is produced by Studio N and CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon, and will stream on Korea’s TVING as an original. WEBTOON to Series: Adaptation and IP Expansion is set for March 25 and will feature Kwon alongside Lee Dong-geon, the creator of hit WEBTOON title Yumi’s Cells (adapted into a TVING original by Studio N and Studio Dragon), and Hyeyoung Lee, Studio Dragon’s chief producer.
Kwon shared with ScreenMDM her goals for Lille and talked about the growing opportunity to adapt Korean webcomics into international IPs.
What does it mean to you personally to have Studio N represented in Lille this year?
It’s an incredible event and our involvement this year is particularly meaningful for a few reasons. First is the growing profile for the WEBTOON IP we bring to audiences all over the world. We had our first Emmy nomination last year for our series Chicken Nugget on Netflix, and we’re getting ready for Bloodhounds season two on Netflix on April 3. We’re part of the WEBTOON Entertainment IP & Creator Ecosystem, and it’s incredible to be here in a year when there’s so much recognition of our IP across the industry.
We are premiering the only Korean content at Series Mania this year, our TV series The Legend of Kitchen Soldier, produced by Studio N and CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon. Being able to showcase that series to such a big audience, and have it be the singular representation of the high level of storytelling coming from WEBTOON and out of Korea, is an honor. In addition, Korea has been selected as Series Mania’s first-ever Country of Honor, and I’ll be speaking on a panel around that, discussing the global expansion of Korean webcomics. So, we’re thrilled to have Studio N and WEBTOON Entertainment represented in a year highlighting Korea’s major contributions in the entertainment industry.
How would you describe what your company stands for and what makes it distinct in the Korean content landscape?
The “N” in “Studio N’ stands for “Next,” and our vision has always been to create incredible stories that you’ve never seen before. We’re bringing something fresh to viewers all over the world. WEBTOON pioneered the mobile, vertical scroll webcomic format, and at Studio N, we were one of the first studios bringing webcomic TV and film adaptations to Korean and international audiences. We’ve been at the forefront of the boom in demand for international K-content and K-dramas, driving many of the hits people have fallen in love with. Our success growing the K-drama category and introducing webcomic adaptations to global audiences has shown the power of our formula: we develop incredible stories from WEBTOON that have built-in audiences, we build trust with our creators, and we work with partners that understand the power of creator-driven entertainment. I think that’s what makes the titles we produce really stand out in the Korean content landscape and draw massive audiences internationally.
Tell us about The Legend of Kitchen Soldier. What is the origin story of this IP, and how did it evolve from webtoon to a hotly anticipated series for TVING?
We’re very excited about this new series! The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is based on the WEBTOON webcomic with 650 million global views. It tells the gripping story of Kang Sung-jae, a “plastic-spoon” underdog who enlists in the army to escape a harsh reality, only to find himself on a path to becoming a legendary military cook. His life takes a surreal turn when a mysterious virtual “Quest” system appears, guiding him through the kitchen, dormitories, and training grounds. As he unintentionally clears one mission after another, what began as a series of coincidences evolves into unexpected solutions for the unit’s hidden issues. Armed with nothing but knives, pots, and spoons, his wild and unpredictable military quest begins.
To offer a unique layer of entertainment distinct from the original webcomic, we enlisted a renowned voice actor, one instantly recognizable to any gamer, to provide the voice for the game system. You will be able to hear her voice accompanying every quest. We also invested significant effort into using CG and creative direction to visually bring the “flavor” of the food to life.
We were also fortunate enough to cast actor Park Ji-hoon—the star of recent smash-hit Korean film The Man Who Lives With the King—as our protagonist. Thanks to the immense attention he has been receiving, our pre-release marketing efforts are off to a fantastic start. Also starring Yoon Kyung-Ho (My Daughter Is a Zombie), the series will stream on Korea’s TVING as a TVING original series in the first half of this year.
How did you approach making this series accessible and compelling for international audiences, while staying true to the source material and its Korean roots?
Although the story is set in a Korean military unit, military culture involving communal living is fairly similar worldwide. So, we developed the story with the belief that the narrative itself, about a new recruit growing through various experiences, is something that audiences everywhere can understand and enjoy. Therefore, rather than modifying the story to cater to a global audience, we focused our efforts on developing a script filled with situations that any person could relate to.
What are your goals for the show at Series Mania? What sorts of collaboration and co-pro opportunities are you exploring in Lille?
At Series Mania this year, we’re looking forward to introducing more executives and tastemakers in the industry to the incredible IP on WEBTOON. I think attendees may be surprised to learn how much content they’ve already seen that came from our platform, so growing that education and awareness of our brand is very important to us.
In terms of collaboration opportunities, we are open to considering anyone with an appetite for fresh storytelling as a potential future partner. So, we plan to dedicate a significant amount of time to networking.
You’re participating in a panel specifically about webtoons. For European industry professionals who may still be getting familiar with the format, how would you make the case for webtoons as a goldmine of IP for series development?
Proven IP is more valuable and in-demand in the entertainment industry now, more than ever. On WEBTOON, we have globally popular, fan-backed stories in every genre from creators all over the world. Our IP comes with built-in fandoms that are eager to see their favorite stories adapted into new formats, and they are showing up for these adaptations. WEBTOON and webcomics have become the go-to storytelling format for Gen Z. Our platforms are where an entire generation now creates, falls in love with, and forms fan communities around webcomics.
Webcomics are already ubiquitous, driving billions of views on our platform, minting a new class of creator-influencers, and filling bookshelves and screens around the world. I like to say that nearly everyone with a streaming subscription has encountered our content, even if they’ve never opened one of our apps. Today we have projects on nearly every major streamer. We’ve had WEBTOON-adapted series True Beauty and other projects on Crunchyroll, Vigilante on Disney+, and a string of Netflix shows, including Bloodhounds, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, and Sweet Home, that have all been massive hits with audiences around the world. And that’s all international.
In Korea, we’ve had a string of hits. Our 2025 film My Daughter Is a Zombie, based on the WEBTOON webcomic with over 500 million global views, was one of the most popular film releases in Korea last year. This film became the highest-grossing Korean film released in 2025 and the third highest-grossing film overall in Korea for the year.
All of this proves what a goldmine WEBTOON’s IP library is not only for series development, but for award-winning, record-breaking content.
How do you balance staying true to the source material with the creative freedoms that premium scripted TV demands?
The most challenging part of an adaptation is always striking the right balance. The boundaries of what can happen in a webcomic versus a live-action series can be quite different, so we have to find ways to bridge that gap. But staying true to the source material is one of the biggest considerations in our adaptation process. We also take the fans into account because we are developing projects that have built-in fandoms. These are communities of people who are deeply invested in these story universes. So we make sure we understand what those fans love about a story and ensure we include the most popular aspects in the adaptation.
Of course, every project is different, but these are the main points we look at when starting our adaptation process.
What makes for a webtoon that can be adapted for other media?
It always comes down to a great story. Our creators have boundless imaginations that are building entire worlds in their webcomics, so finding titles to adapt is never a challenge! But we look for stories that have that perfect mix of interesting characters and unique worldbuilding.
As interest in Korean webtoon IP surges, how do you navigate, or compete, in that environment? Is it a challenge or an opportunity?
It’s both! We’re fortunate to have such a breadth of IP on WEBTOON, which means it’s easy to keep up with the demand. But there are only so many hours in a day, so we have to be smart and look at what the market wants at any given time.
We’re also uniquely set up as part of WEBTOON’s IP & Creator Ecosystem. We have a sister studio in the US, WEBTOON Productions, focused on developing English-language adaptations. Together, our ecosystem enables us to find incredible stories on our platforms and then create value across multiple formats and regions. This powerful creator economy is our secret sauce. Our entire ecosystem works together to grow IP and build fandoms around it. No one else can do that the same way.
As Korea is honored in Lille, what’s your take on the state of the Korean content landscape? What’s needed for the sector to reach its next stage of growth?
I think the future of Korean content is limitless right now. We’ve seen so many of the sectors of Korean culture infiltrate the worldwide zeitgeist, within fashion, music, beauty, and more, and Korean TV and film content is no different. There have been moments of massive cultural influence in the West around select Korean projects like Squid Game and Parasite, but what I think we’re seeing more of now and will continue to see in the future is a more steady stream of hit content from Korean sources being popular with audiences around the world, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. I believe WEBTOON Entertainment will be a driving force in that trend, and we’re proud to be a part of that.
Where do you want Studio N to be in five years? What does success look like for the company on a global stage?
Success to us looks like exactly what we’re doing right now—continuing to create adaptations across film and TV, in both the live-action and animation space, that reach fans across the globe. We have so much in the works right now that we know will help us continue this mandate in the future.
What’s the one thing you hope international audiences and industry professionals take away from the webtoon spotlight and Korean content in general after Lille?
My hope is that attendees walk away with an understanding of the power that WEBTOON IP holds in the industry right now. It’s very possible that many of them have watched webcomic-adapted content without even knowing it! So, I hope to help illuminate that and perhaps they will visit WEBTOON to discover the amazing content we have for themselves.
In addition, with the focus on Korea in particular at Series Mania this year, I hope attendees recognize the massive, trailblazing impact that Korean content has had within the entertainment industry, across music, TV, film, technology, and more.
What are you most looking forward to experiencing at Series Mania this year, outside of your own panel and premiere?
I’m looking forward to connecting with so many people from around the world! Series Mania provides such a great opportunity to meet with existing connections and make new ones.
