Three North African websites distributing 'K-webtoons' illegally have been shut down and their operators have been arrested. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said on the 22nd that it had worked with the U.S. based webtoons company, Naver Webtoon, and the non-profit organisation, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), to track down and close the illegal websites. The KOCCA said it had confirmed that the three websites, 'Tapas', 'Webtoonsxyz', and 'Toonily', which illegally distributed Naver Webtoon's 'The God of High School', 'Tower of God', and 'Noblesse', had been operated by people in North Africa. The KOCCA and its partners have been working together since 2020 to prevent illegal webtoon distribution. In 2021, they shut down 27 illegal webtoon and manhwa distribution websites and in 2022 they shut down 21. The KOCCA said it will continue to work with global partners to protect intellectual property rights and make the webtoon industry a better place.

The Korean webtoon platform, K-웹툰, has been shut down three illegal distribution sites in North Africa after a joint international investigation. The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry, along with Naver Webtoon, the FBI, Interpol, and local prosecutors, conducted the operation. The three sites were shut down and their operator arrested on July 13th, following the results of an international investigative joint operation.

These websites had been operating since July 2024, specifically targeting US and European users, by illegally scanning and translating official K-웹툰 content into English. The Culture Ministry reported that these sites had illegally copied and distributed 83,688 pieces of content, including 39,265 pieces of domestic webtoons and 5,202 pieces of web novels.

The K-웹툰 content accounted for about 57% of the total content, with an estimated annual loss of around 200 billion won. Naver Webtoon's works were also found to have been illegally scanned and translated into 300+ works. The sites were not just relay sites, but served as the primary source for illegally distributing content. This led to the illegal copies being redistributed by other pirate webtoon sites.

The investigation began in March after Naver Webtoon reported the situation to the Culture Ministry via Interpol. The ministry launched an international investigative joint operation and worked with Korean police, North African police forces, and local prosecutors to close the three sites in mid-July. Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism spokesperson, Kim Jae-hyun, stated that they would strengthen cooperation with international organizations and domestic industry to better protect the copyrights of K-웹툰 content.