[Dongguk University Campus Town x IT Donga] Dongguk University Campus Town is conducting the '2025 Scale-up Program' in collaboration with IT Donga. Dongguk University Campus Town and IT Donga will introduce the overall business operations of the startups participating in this program and analyze their business models. They aim to connect these startups with experts from various fields to help solve the challenges they face in advancing to the next stage.

The startup LitTOON is a platform that gathers and provides short comics (short-form webtoons with less than 20 panels) that are popular on Instagram. Under the theme of 'Shorter, More Enjoyable Short Toon Platform,' they have set a goal to redefine the value of content and establish a creator-centric ecosystem. They aspire to make short toons a mainstream in the content market, rather than a peripheral.



LitTOON is working to enhance its completeness ahead of its official launch in November 2025. Above all, they are listening to the voices of creators to ensure a stable initial service. What does LitTOON look like from the creators' perspective? IT Donga met with creators Choi Joo-yeon (pen name Go Aemi), Kwak Se-young (pen name Booki), and Nam Hye-rin (pen name Jjumi) to hear their honest stories about their experiences with Insta-toons and the new platform.

Low Accessibility, Quick Response is the Charm of Short Toons

IT Donga: Hello. Nice to meet you. Please introduce yourselves first.

Go Aemi: Hello. I am Go Aemi, living in Banpo while raising two children. I leave short toons about the people I meet in my neighborhood, their stories, and my thoughts in daily life. I mainly get inspiration from places like gyms, bathhouses, and children's shuttle bus stops. I try to capture the human aspects of various characters and the uniqueness of the neighborhood 'Banpo.' It feels like a 'Banpo Human Theater.'

Booki: Hello. I started Insta-toons after dreaming of having my own character while decorating diaries (Dakku) as a hobby for seven years. I introduce stories of Dakku enthusiasts and stationery tips. I also produce short animation toons about daily life with my parents.

Jjumi: Hello. I am Jjumi, creating financial toons for 2030 office workers. I started with the hope that no one would suffer from information asymmetry. I once suffered a significant loss during a housing price surge after moving to a high-end office-tel on the advice of a real estate manager. My goal is to convey complex financial information easily and entertainingly, like a friend.



IT Donga: All three of you are pursuing creative activities with distinct goals. What made you choose Instagram over traditional webtoon platforms?

Go Aemi: I actually tried serializing webtoons in the past. The problem was the response. Even with regular serialization, reader reactions on webtoon platforms are not immediate. The frustration built up, making serialization difficult. However, approaching forty, I wanted to do something under my name. After considering various platforms, I found Insta-toons appealing as a way to express my stories without revealing myself.

Booki: I started Insta-toons for practical reasons. I'm not particularly skilled at drawing. Compared to platforms like Naver Webtoon, Insta-toons have a lower threshold regarding drawing quality. There's less stress about drawing, and it shortens the work time, making it much easier for people like me to enter. The ability to start without pressure is an advantage.

Jjumi: My situation is similar. As an office worker, I couldn't devote much time to a side job. However, I wanted to utilize the characters I created for Kakao emoticons. I thought Insta-toons were an efficient way to create content and communicate with people using these characters. I currently work on it after work or on weekends.

The Art of Condensing Stories in Short Toons

The three creators cited 'quick response' as an advantage of short toons. They also believe that the aspect of compressing stories into a limited space positively impacts creativity. They perceive short content not as a limitation but as a creative and strategic adaptation to modern content consumption habits.



IT Donga: Insta-toons are characterized by their brevity and simplicity. What do you think is the charm of this short toon format?

Go Aemi: I think the quick response is the biggest factor. Readers can immediately judge whether they like my story or not. With webtoons, you have to go through several episodes to determine if it's right for you. In contrast, with short toons, you can tell if it suits your taste with just a few swipes. As a creator, it allows for training in delivering long narratives concisely. It involves deep consideration of which parts to emphasize and which to omit.

Booki: I also agree with the immediate response. Readers react with just a couple of panels. The ease of sharing due to its brevity is another advantage. When someone finds an interesting work, they can share it with friends immediately, and this process naturally leads to reader influx.

Jjumi: I feel the growing importance of short-form content on platforms like YouTube. Even I, from a generation that watches more short videos than long ones, believe this trend will become stronger. For this reason, I think the direction of short toons is future-oriented. I also ponder how to deliver impactful messages and quick empathy in a short format. The process of contemplating how to effectively convey information and emotions within limited panels is a significant stimulus for me.



Challenges in Securing Material and Unstable Income

IT Donga: What are the difficulties you face as creators, such as challenges in the creative process or realistic issues like income?

Go Aemi: Since I mainly convey stories about people's lives, the challenge is meeting people to gather material. I have to conduct interviews or translate the stories I've heard, but meeting people isn't as easy as it seems. Recently, I've been interviewing local mothers or bar owners, but it's not comfortable for me due to my personality. Raising children also imposes many time constraints.

Booki: I'm in a transitional phase, contemplating whether to focus more on Dakku stories or my dream of being a stationery creator. The income isn't substantial yet, so I'm working on generating revenue through various means like participating in fairs, selling goods, and advertising, in addition to Insta-toons.

Jjumi: Balancing with my main job presents significant time constraints. My goal in creative work is to address information asymmetry, but I often worry that short toons may be limited in conveying information. I'm considering creating a community or planning offline meetings to find more practical ways to help people.

First Impressions of LitTOON from the Creators' Perspective

What does LitTOON look like through the eyes of the creators? For those who have experienced the limitations of Instagram, LitTOON presents a platform of new possibilities. The three creators highlighted the advantages of being able to make various attempts in an independent space and communicate closely with fans.



IT Donga: You heard an explanation about the short toon platform, LitTOON, here. What was your first impression of the platform?

Go Aemi: I am from the Cyworld generation. When I first heard about LitTOON, it felt like a modern version of Cyworld's mini-homepage. It seemed like a platform where each creator could decorate their own space and build deep relationships with readers. It felt like a combination of blog, Instagram, and thread functions. I thought it would be a good platform to create genuine fans.

Jjumi: The practical business functions caught my eye first. I was impressed by the service that connects advertisers with creators. On Instagram, advertisement proposals come through direct messages (DM) or personal emails. However, it's challenging to determine if these are trustworthy companies. If contacted through a platform like LitTOON, there would be an initial verification effect. It would provide a sense of security for creators.

Booki: I focused on the community communication function. I think the feature that sorts comments by popularity is good. As a reader, I often look at comments out of curiosity about how others think compared to my own thoughts. It's a feature that helps understand readers' reactions more comprehensively, which I liked.



What is Needed for Creators and LitTOON to Grow Together?

The three creators urged LitTOON to play various roles, from business connections to community activation, rather than just being a content repository. They focused on the potential for LitTOON to grow as a partner platform rather than a service platform model. It suggests that creators do not want to remain mere platform users but expect a role as partners growing together.

IT Donga: What functions or support would help LitTOON assist creators' creative activities in the future? Feel free to share your expectations for the platform.

Go Aemi: My dream is to hold small offline meetings with my genuine fans. Communicating with fans in a small bar-like space. If LitTOON could help with promotion and support when planning such fan meetings, it would be helpful. Above all, I hope LitTOON continues to grow as a platform as creators work hard.

Booki: I also expect it to connect creators with corporate collaborations that are difficult to pursue individually. For example, collaborating with photo booth companies like Life Four Cuts to create character frames for creators. If LitTOON intermediates various business opportunities, it would be a great help.

Jjumi: I agree with Booki's opinion. I also think it would be good for the platform to conduct online and offline events with creators. I hope there will be more events that bring joy to readers while creators and the platform win together.

Desire to Serialize Various Works on LitTOON

IT Donga: Lastly, what kind of creative activities do you plan to undertake on LitTOON? Please share your future plans.



Go Aemi: My ultimate goal is for my story to be made into a drama like successful webtoons. Achieving this goal requires a solid fan base and long narrative. I expect LitTOON to be a good platform to build my narrative. I want to try works containing various stories on LitTOON.

Booki: I have similar thoughts. Until now, I've mainly posted one-off content, but I want to serialize long series in the future. I want to challenge long narratives on LitTOON, which are difficult to maintain on Instagram feeds.

Jjumi: I want to go beyond informational short toons and create curated collections by theme. For example, collections on real estate policies or investment guides for beginners. A complete resource that genuinely helps the 2030 generation. I hope to plan, produce, and distribute such content with LitTOON.

IT Donga Kang Hyung-seok (redbk@itdonga.com)

Popular News