A few years ago, manhwa series were largely unheard of outside of countries like South Korea. They were largely overshadowed by stronger competitors, notably American comic books and Japanese manga. However, there has been a massive influx when it comes to fan interest in manhwa over the last few years, and because of that, we enjoyed the launch and expansion of various manhwa platforms for North America.

The biggest and most well-known one was Tapas, a company owned by Kakao Entertainment. Sadly, Tapas is now officially shutting down in 2026. Now, fans need to find a new platform to read their favorite manhwa, notably series like Solo Leveling, among others. Kakao Webtoon is also shutting down, which marks a dark year for fans of South Korean Comic Books.

Every year now, the interest in South Korean comic books, referred to generally as manhwa, has been growing. The global hype behind manhwa started when some anime adaptations delivered big hits. This includes series like God of High School and Tower of God. Most recently, the biggest hit that has solidified a place for itself among the best is A-1 Pictures and Aniplex’s magnum opus, Solo Leveling. Following the success of Solo Leveling, manhwa in general have achieved greater reach outside of South Korea. Overall, because of the increase in popularity of manhwa, the natural assumption was that Manhwa platforms were profiting and growing.

In North America, the biggest Manhwa platform is Tapas, which is owned by Kakao Entertainment, and it was first launched over a decade ago.

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