Kakao Entertainment’s webtoon-turned-Netflix series “Karma” is winning the hearts of audiences worldwide following its premiere, mesmerizing them with gripping storyline and masterful direction. Its immense popularity is also drawing attention to Kakao Entertainment’s upcoming webtoon adaptation, “Crushology 101,” sparking anticipation that both works will become shining examples of the company’s IP crossover project — an endeavor aimed at building synergies among its diverse IPs.
“Karma,” based on Kakao Entertainment’s 10-million-view webtoon of the same name, has clinched the No. 4 position on the global TV shows chart and entered the TOP 10 in 81 countries, according to FlixPatrol. It is a crime thriller highlighting how “A fateful accident intertwines six lives in a thrilling tale of karma and crime, where each must face their own dark truths and connections.” It sheds light on Kakao Entertainment’s synergy-boosting collaboration with its subsidiaries, with the company joining hands with its production houses, Moonlight Film and Baram Pictures, to co-produce the series. Moonlight Film is best known for its smash-hit films “Narco-Saints” and “The Match,” while Baram Pictures made waves with the Netflix series “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and the drama “When the Phone Rings.” “Karma” also stars actors from its talent agencies, including Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon and Lee Kwang-soo.
“I always dreamed of having my work published in book form, but now that it’s being made into a series, I feel surreal,” said Choi Hee-sun, the creator of the “Karma” webtoon. “As a viewer, I am also excited to watch the expert-crafted adaptation and hope it becomes a series worth binge-watching.”
Meanwhile, “Crushology 101,” based on a Kakao Webtoon with an accumulated 170 million views, will release its first episode on April 11 in 106 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, via U-NEXT, Kocowa+ and Amazon Prime Video India. Starring Roh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min and Cho Junyoung, this youthful campus romance follows a college student named Bani, who stumbles upon attractive men after breaking up with her dark first love. Kakao Entertainment, the owner of the original IP, produced the series itself, and singers from its music labels, including Jung Seung-hwan and Dragon Pony, have lent their voices to the original soundtracks of the upcoming series.
Prior to its premiere, Kakao Entertainment unveiled a special webtoon while creating a fan community on its new global fan platform Berriz. Through Berriz, it has brought together drama and webtoon fans, enriching their experiences with AI-powered content and special events.
IP crossover project
Both “Karma” and “Crushology 101” are the latest examples of Kakao Entertainment’s IP crossover strategy. Kakao Entertainment has developed a robust IP value chain encompassing webtoons, web novels, dramas, films, performances, and music, handling the planning and production of all these areas. With this system, the company has accelerated its IP crossover strategy by adapting its IPs into various formats. Turning a webtoon into a drama or featuring singers from its music labels in the drama’s original soundtracks are just a few examples. Kakao Entertainment understands the magnetism and strengths of its own IPs better than anyone, which is why it has consistently produced diverse adaptations on its own. It excels at illuminating the unique charms of the original works while adding fresh elements tailored for new adaptations, thereby amplifying the fandoms of the original IPs while drawing in fresh audiences. Through this synergy-boosting efforts, Kakao Entertainment has cemented its status as a global studio.
The Kakao Page web novel “Business Proposal” is a recent case worth noting. It evolved into a webtoon and a drama by Kakao Entertainment and its subsidiary, with Kakao Entertainment producing its soundtrack. When the drama was released on Netflix, it soared into the TOP 10 of non-English TV shows for 13 consecutive weeks, bringing the original web novel and webtoon into the limelight. The webtoon version ranked 1st in both views and sales on Kakao Webtoon Thailand and Taiwan as of March 2022. In India, it saw its revenue surge by more than 20 times compared to before the drama’s release. “Business Proposal” was also made into a drama in Hong Kong by ViuTV. Another top-tier example is the 2024 web novel-turned-drama “When the Phone Rings” by Baram Pictures. The series, starring Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin from KINGKONG by STARSHIP — a talent house under Kakao Entertainment — grabbed the No. 2 spot in Netflix’s global TV shows category and was also made into a webtoon.
Future plans
Kakao Entertainment’s IP crossover project is not simply about turning web novels or webtoons into dramas. Previously, the company did the opposite, developing a spin-off webtoon of the highly popular Netflix series, “Gyeongseong Creature.” It also came up with the webtoon “NCT: Dream Contact” and the web novel “Rise & Realize,” which centered on K-pop boy groups NCT and RIIZE, respectively. The company’s flagship IP “Solo Leveling” will soon be adapted into a drama as well, with Kakao Entertainment involved in its planning, development and script writing. Originally written as a web novel, “Solo Leveling” has been transformed into a webtoon, a game and even a Netflix anime thanks to its stellar popularity.
In 2025, Kakao Entertainment is committed to keeping its victories rolling. In June, its beloved webtoon “Itaewon Class,” which enjoyed immense popularity after being adapted into a drama in Korea starring Park Seo-jun, will be made into a musical in Japan. For this musical, Nozomu Kotaki ― a member of the Japanese idol group WEST. ― will play the protagonist Park Sae-ro-yi. The original webtoon garnered more than 400 million views in Korea and was also adapted into a drama in Japan. The musical adaptation of the 220-million-view webtoon The Siren: Becoming the Villain’s Family, planned and produced by Kakao Entertainment’s subsidiary SHOWNOTE, is scheduled to premiere in Korea in April.
“The global popularity of Korean content is giving rise to more works across diverse themes and genres,” Kakao Entertainment said. “In response, Kakao Entertainment will present even more compelling works based on our creative and fresh original IPs, seeking to delight fans of all kinds of content.”
Source: Press Release
