Seoul, South Korea – Naver Webtoon, a leading digital comics platform, announced today a significant investment in a Japanese webtoon studio, further solidifying its global expansion strategy.

The company's Japanese subsidiary, Line Digital Frontier, has acquired a stake in "Number Nine," a Japanese webtoon studio that has gained prominence in recent years. This marks Naver Webtoon's first investment in an overseas webtoon studio.

Founded in 2016, Number Nine initially focused on electronic comic distribution services before venturing into webtoon production. Their popular titles, "Shinhyeol's Savior" and "I Alone am the Strongest Transcender," ranked among the top 10 on Japan's Line Manga platform last year. These works have also been translated into Korean, English, French, and other languages through Naver Webtoon's global service.

"We've seen significant growth in our Japanese business, and this investment will allow us to deepen our partnership with Number Nine and create even more compelling content for a global audience," said Kim Jun-gu, CEO of Webtoon Entertainment and Naver Webtoon.

By expanding its investment in the Japanese market, Naver Webtoon aims to strengthen its position as a global leader in digital comics and further diversify its content offerings. The partnership with Number Nine is expected to fuel the creation of high-quality webtoons that resonate with readers worldwide.