South Korean webtoons, Korean online comics that are released on a regular schedule like TV shows or dramas, started in South Korea in the early 2000s. Since then, they have gained tons of popularity Not only in South Korea but also abroad, sparking the trend of Korean webtoons translated into languages like English, Mandarin, and Indonesian.
are published online on a regular schedule (usually once or twice a week) and are published in long vertical strips or infinite canvases, making it easier to read for those who access comics on a smartphone or a computer.
You are reading: Korean comic books in english
webtoons often do a fantastic job of revealing Korean culture and humor, and the genres are very broad, so whether you like comedy, tragedy, drama, or romance, there’s something for you.
If you’re looking to improve your Korean, reading webtoons in the original is a great way to do it. However, if you just want to see what it’s all about, Naver Webtoon offers a variety of English versions for many popular Korean webtoons. We here at 10 magazine have compiled a list of 15 popular Korean webtoons in English that everyone should read in 2022.
1. the sound of your heart, by cho seok
The Sound of Your Heart is a comedy webtoon created by artist Jo Seok. the series has an impressive overall rating of 9.56 out of 10 online and currently has over 500 episodes. the sound of your heart is a comedy full of wit, sarcasm and parody. follows the life of jo seok, the author himself as the main character, his family, his girlfriend and his friends as they go through a series of absurd situations that will leave all readers breathless.
genre: comedystatus: completed (total 526 episodes)
2. kubera, by currygom
kubera is a fantasy webtoon created by artist currygom. the series has an overall rating of 9.70 out of 10 online and currently has over 300 episodes available in English. The series follows Kubera, a girl from a small town, who comes home one day to find that a high-ranking Sura (a powerful immortal being with both human and animal forms) has laid waste to her town. This mixed-genre fantasy webtoon follows Kubera as she embarks on a quest to avenge her loved ones with the help of a mage named Asha.
genre: fantasystatus: ongoing; new episodes released every Monday!
3. about death, by hyeono and sini
about death is a drama webtoon by artists hyeono and sini. the now complete series has an overall rating of 9.83 out of 10 online and has a total of 28 episodes, all available in English. about death explores the world that lies between life and death, following a divine figure who speaks to those who teeter on the border between the living and the dead. An interesting aspect of this series is the soundtrack that accompanies each episode, which adds to the mood of the dark and brooding webtoon. exploring themes of regret, suicide, friendship, love and loss, about death is a short but powerful webtoon that will leave you wanting more.
genre: dramastatus: completed (total 34 episodes)
4. cheese in the trap, by soonkki
cheese in the trap is a romance webtoon by artist soonkki. With an overall rating of 9.69 out of 10 online, the series currently has over 100 episodes available in English. adapted into a drama in 2016 and a movie this year, cheese in the trap follows the lives of seol hong, a hard-working student who has returned to school after a long break, and jung yu, his eldest in school known as mr. perfect for everyone around her. The webtoon explores the complicated relationship between the two characters primarily from the perspective of Seol, who feels that his life has gotten worse since he got involved with Jung.
genre: romancestatus: completed (total 77 episodes)
5. untouchable, by massstar
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untouchable is a romantic webtoon by the artist massstar. With an overall rating of 9.68 out of 10 online, the series has a total of 140 episodes, all available in English. untouchable follows the life of sia lee, a modern vampire who absorbs the energy of humans by touching them instead of drinking her blood. One day, Sia becomes incredibly attracted to her next door neighbor, Jiho, whose germophobia keeps them apart.
genre: romancestatus: completed (total 142 episodes)
6. tower of god, by siu
tower of god is a fantasy webtoon created by artist lee jong-hui (also known as siu). With an overall rating of 9.81 out of 10 online, the series currently has over 298 episodes available in English. tower of god is about a boy named twenty-fifth bam, who has spent most of his life trapped under a mysterious tower, accompanied only by his close friend, rachel. One day, Rachel enters the tower and bam, in an attempt to find her closest companion, she also finds a way to enter. To ascend the tower, Bam must pass increasingly difficult tests of strength, dexterity, and wits.
genre: fantasystatus: ongoing; new episodes released every Monday!
7. nobility, by jeho son and kwangsu lee
noblesse is a fantasy webtoon created by artists Jeoho Son and Kwangsu Lee. With an overall rating of 9.77 online, the series has over 500 episodes available online in English. Noblesse follows the life of Rai, a powerful nobleman, who wakes up from an 820-year sleep and begins a new life as a student at a high school founded by his loyal servant, Frankenstein. However, problems arise when mysterious attackers known as “Syndicates” begin to disrupt Rai’s new life.
genre: fantasystatus: completed (total 543 episodes)
8. hana days, by seokwoo
days of hana is a romance webtoon by artist seokwoo, who also created the orange marmalade webtoon. With an overall rating of 9.78 out of 10 online, Days of Hana has over 50 episodes available online in English. The webtoon explores the love story between Haru, a werewolf boy, and Hana, a human girl, in a world where werewolves are considered servants of humans.
genre: romancestatus: completed (total 113 episodes)
9. dice, by hyunseok yun
says is a fantasy webtoon created by artist hyunseok yun. With an overall rating of 9.59 out of 10 online, the series currently has over 200 episodes available online in English. dice introduces a world where you can restart your life, just like you would in an online game, by playing a game of dice. Dong Tae is constantly bullied by his classmates and lives a pretty miserable life. Tae Bin, the new exchange student who sits next to him, is popular at school and seems to have everything going for him. One day, Tae Bin suggests that he and Dong Tae play a little game of dice.
genre: fantasystatus: completed (total 387 episodes)
10. oh! holy, by ahyun
ouch! holy is a romance webtoon by the artist ahyun. With an overall rating of 9.70 out of 10 online, the series has over 80 episodes available online in English. ouch! holy follows the relationship between holy and jaimee, two childhood friends who coincidentally meet again in high school. Jaimee is a bit of a loner and has the uncanny ability to see ghosts, while Holy is the ideal popular girl in school. the series follows the two as they reconcile their childhood friendship (and possibly romance) in high school.
genre: romancestatus: completed (140 episodes total)
11. surviving romance, by lee yone
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Surviving Romance is a horror webtoon by artist Lee Yone. With an overall rating of 9.81 out of 10 online, the series has only 6 episodes, for now, all available in English. Surviving Romance follows the story of Chaerin Eun that became the protagonist of the romance novel that she is reading. Expecting to have a fairytale ending with the cute Jeha, she soon realized that something is going wrong and that the story is taking a more terrifying turn. Will she be able to find her happy ending despite the new storyline?
genre: horrorstatus: ongoing; new episodes released every Thursday!
12. if ai ruled the world, by pogo and hoopa
If AI Rules the world is a sci-fi webtoon created by artists Pogo and Hoopa. With an overall rating of 9.67 out of 10 online, the series currently has 5 episodes available in English. If AI Rules the World is about a world where artificial intelligence is a big part of your life to solve all of your problems. But what if this comes with a price? What if suddenly AI doesn’t have humanity’s best interest? Would it be possible to coexist?
genre: sci-fistatus: completed (51 episodes total)
13. omniscient reader, by sin n song and sleepy-c
Omniscient reader is an action webtoon created by artists Sin N Song and Sleepy-C. With an overall rating of 9.90 online, the series has over 40 episodes online available in English. Omniscient reader follows the story of Dokja, an average office worker. Over the years Dokja was the only reader of a web novel called “Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse” that once was finished became reality. Thanks to his knowledge from the web novel and his realization, Dokja will use his understanding to change the course of the story and the world.
gender: actionstatus: in progress; new episodes released every Wednesday!
14. true beauty, by yaongyi
True Beauty is a romance webtoon created by artist Yaongyi. With an overall rating of 9.65 out of 10 online, the series has over 140 episodes online available in English. True Beauty follows the story of Jugyeong, a shy comic book fan that saw her popularity grow on social media after mastering the art of makeup. But will she be able to keep her popularity or will her true self will be discovered?
genre: romancestatus: ongoing; new episodes released every Wednesday!
15. appearance, by taejun park
Lookism is a drama webtoon written and illustrated by artist Taejun Park. With an overall rating of 9.79 out of 10 online, the series has over 300 episodes online available in English. Lookism as the name implies tackles bias due to a person’s physical appearance following the story of Daniel, a fat, unattractive student who is often bullied. He wakes up one day to find himself in the body of a tall, handsome and cool guy. Daniel aims to achieve everything he couldn’t before in this new body. But, how far will he go to keep his body… and his secrets?
genre: dramastatus: ongoing; new episodes released every Sunday!
additional
for francophones who love korean webtoons, check out criminalon for korean webtoons translated into french.
Do you agree with our list? Did we miss a good one? let us know in the comments below! You can also check out our article on “8 Fascinating Korean Novels That Are Just What You Need Right Now”