Sejong University Hosts Japanese Students for Intensive K-Webtoon Training

Sejong University recently hosted 20 Japanese university students for an intensive two-week program focused on K-webtoons. The initiative, running from August 9 to 23, is part of the "2026 Japan-Korea Joint Higher Education Student Exchange Program," for which Sejong University was selected as an operating institution.

The curriculum, based on the university's renowned cartoon and animation department, provided hands-on experience in the complete webtoon creation process. Students learned about webtoon IP planning, character design, storytelling, directing, storyboarding, and manuscript production. The program emphasized developing original ideas into tangible creative IPs, going beyond simple content consumption.

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Students were able to experience the entire process of developing their ideas into actual webtoon IPs, not just passively consuming Korean webtoon content.

Industry connections were a key component, featuring a special lecture by webtoon artist Choi Ji-soo, who works with Naver and LINE Manga. Participants also visited AI webtoon production company Toon Square and toured the university's motion capture studio. These experiences offered direct exposure to industry professionals and the latest technological trends in the Korean webtoon sector.

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This program is an example of international educational cooperation that combines Sejong University's strengths in K-content education with the National Institute for International Education's Japan-Korea higher education exchange project.

Beyond the creative training, students engaged in Korean language classes using webtoon and animation content. They also explored Korean culture through visits to Lotte World Aquarium, Han River Park, the Nanta Theatre, bustling markets in Hongdae and Mangwon, and the DMZ security tour. The program concluded with a presentation event where students showcased their original webtoon creations to faculty and industry experts, with awards given for outstanding works.

Sejong University's International Cooperation Director, Lee Choong-hoon, highlighted the program as an example of international educational cooperation, integrating the university's K-content expertise with the exchange project. He expressed a commitment to expanding exchanges with Japanese universities beyond student swaps to include practical collaborations linking academic education with industry practices.

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We hope this will be an opportunity for young creators from both Korea and Japan to understand each other's content and industries, based on Sejong University's accumulated expertise in cartoon and webtoon education.