Webtoon Entertainment has upped Yongsoo Kim to President, putting him at the helm of the Webcomics giant’s global operations.
Webtoon and Wattpad share the same parent company in Naver. Webtoon Productions has been working up titles from both platforms for film and TV, per our recent feature on the development and production unit, which is run by industry vet David Madden.
It has a raft of big-ticket projects in the works including: Chasing Red with Madelaine Petsch and Gavin Casalegno; a movie adaptation of Flor M. Salvador’s ‘Boulevard’ with Sony Pictures International Productions; Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment; and Something’s Wrong In Stagtown with Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap Entertainment.
The film and TV division falls under Kim’s remit as President. He is being promoted from Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global having originally joined Webtoon Entertainment in 2022. He played a leading role in the company’s IPO in 2024. On his watch, Webtoon has introduced Video Episodes, expanded its Creator programs and furthered the integration of Webtoon Productions, which was formerly known as Wattpad Webtoon Studios.
Webtoon said that under the new leadership structure, company founder & CEO Junkoo Kim will focus on long-term strategy and vision, while, as President Yongsoo Kim will lead global operations and execution. He will also join the board. CFO & COO David Lee will continue in his current role.
In a statement, Junkoo Kim addressed Yongsoo Kim’s new role: “As CSO and Head of Global Webtoon, he strengthened our U.S. and international operations, building a culture of innovation and performance. Yongsoo’s elevation to President reinforces our commitment to disciplined execution as we scale globally, boldly innovating while staying focused on our long-term vision to be the world’s storytelling technology platform, empowering creation by anyone, for everyone.”
Prior to Webtoon, Yongsoo Kim was at KKR. Earlier in his career, Kim was part of the founding team of Tesla’s Korea operations.