Kakao Creative Foundation Opens 'Online Creative Academy' Lecture for Cultural Content
Kakao Entertainment has completed uploading all lectures in the free ‘Online Creation Academy’ of the ‘Kakao Creation Foundation’, which was established to support the creators of Korea’s cultural content.
Kakao Creative Foundation is a foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established by Kakao Entertainment to build a healthy ecosystem for creators. Kakao Entertainment plans to contribute at least 10 billion won over the next 5 years, 2 billion each year for the operation of the foundation business. Starting with the ‘Online Creative Academy’, the foundation plans to develop various activities such as support for aspiring creators and their creation work, and public campaign projects.
Opened on September 5, the 'Online Creation Academy' provides education program designed for both current and aspiring creators to receive practical help throughout their creative process, from webtoon and web novel writing methods to legal information, mindset, and health care methods. Anyone can take the course for free without any qualification through the Kakao Creative Foundation website, and they can download the mobile app through the website.
The lecture consisted of a total of 82 sessions in 5 categories: webtoon, web novel, law, health, and psychology. In the webtoon and web novel categories, about 10 instructors, composed of current writers and cartoon critics, gave detailed information about the basics such as work tools, writing storyboards, how to discover materials, and setting angles for each situation. In addition to basic lectures, it also provided practical tips from the experiences of current writers, as well as the most frequently asked questions and answers in the writers’ career.
Above all, the ‘Online Creation Academy’ is distinctive, in that experts in their field, such as lawyers and specialists, provide lectures on law, health, and psychology specialized for content creators. This is an educational process that was difficult to access in previous creative academies, and it draws attention in that it can be helpful not only to prospective creators but also to established creators who are too afraid to ask for professional help while working as a single freelancer.
In the legal lecture category, detailed education on law, tax, and labor was provided. It contains detailed explanations so that creators can cope with various related situations such as provisions to be aware of when drafting contracts, basic concepts of copyright, how to receive relief in case of copyright infringement, labor law, and freelance business income tax treatment. In psychological lectures given by incumbent writers and psychiatrists, the creators can learn how to manage their mind to flexibly cope with malicious comments or stress from work. In the health course, rehabilitation medicine specialists teach how to manage the spine, waist, and neck for creators who have to sit and work for a long time.
The ‘Online Creation Academy’ also includes a message video for creators from writer Yoon Taeho, writer Jang dam and Seong In-gyu, president of the Korea Creative Story Writers Association. Writer Yoon Tae-ho said, “I think it will be of great practical help to creators if they can receive support for their work, contracts, laws, and management of mental stress. I hope that the online creative academy can be a good opportunity and a new starting point for many people.”
Writer Jangdam said, “As web content has developed, a new path and a good environment have been prepared for creators who used to be on the verge of life and death in the dark days of the market just 10 years ago. I hope that many successful new artists will be born through the online creation academy education, and that they will contribute to the development of web contents in Korea.” He added, “In that sense, I am very grateful for KaKao Creative Foundation.”
The Kakao Creative Foundation’s ‘Online Creative Academy’ plans to continuously open additional lectures, including advanced education courses for webtoons and web novels, following this year and next year.
WeMade Play Starts Pre-booking of Three New Games Using Anipang IP in Overseas Markets!
- The company put its casual game development expertise
- WeMadePlay plans to expand overseas services by launching three new games in the global market within this year
WeMadePlay Co., Ltd. starts global pre-booking service for three types of mobile games based on Anipang's intellectual property rights.
There are three types of mobile games that were released on Google Play and Apple App Store overseas on the 15th (Korean time): △Anipang Match △Anipang Blast △Anipang Coins. These games are attracting attention as preparatory work for global release, which WeMadePlay simultaneously starts pre-booking service all by using popular Anipang IP.
In particular, the simultaneous release of 'Anipang Match,' influenced by 'Anipang 4', 'Anipang Blast' using 'Anipang Touch', and the new 'Anipang Coins' is expected to showcase WeMadePlay's full lineup of casual games.
Anipang Match is based on a 3-match puzzle, and its strengths are stage play, real-time battles, and social networking. 'Anipang Blast' is a game that implemented the speedy block breaking and mission progression that were praised in the original game. In addition, the new 'Anipang Coins' is a game that holds matches with friends through roulette games using Anipang IP. The company explains that these three games will be able to meet the various demands of overseas users.
Lee Ho-dae, CEO of WeMadePlay, said, “We expect that the three new games, which combine Anipang IP and our own development expertise will create a synergy effect through the joint marketing for various casual game fans overseas.” He added, "We plan to continue targeting overseas markets with a variety of games prepared from the end of the year to next year."
WeMadePlay plans to release the three new mobile games through WeMix Play at the end of the year.
Neowiz DJMAX RESPECT V Releases New DLC, ‘V EXTENSION 3’
Neowiz’s leading rhythm action game, ‘DJMAX RESPECT V’, officially released a new DLC, ‘V EXTENSION 3’.
‘V EXTENSION 3’ is ‘DJMAX RESPECT V’s the 3rd of its regular DLCs, the ‘V EXTENSION Series’. The series is famous for showcasing the music of famous artists from Korea and overseas with unique genres and feels. The previous DLCs reached no.1 on ‘Steam Top Sellers’ upon being released on the global game distribution platform, Steam, and found its place as the representative service of ‘DJMAX RESPECT V’.
The lead song of the new DLC, ‘V EXTENSION 3’, was the producer ‘TAK’s new song, ‘Tic! Tac! Toe!’. The song that ‘TAK’ is showcasing after making his return to the DJMAX series after 10 years is an electro house song with a K-Pop feel and depicts the process of ‘El Clear’ and ‘El Fail’, the mascots of the DJMAX RESPECT series, debuting as an idol group in the music video. ‘FREEMIND’, the dancers responsible for the choreography of the hit song of the idol group ‘IVE’, added an additional layer of fun by participating in the dance at the highlight of the music video.
New songs from new artists, such as Takahiro Eguchi, YESEO, and Night Tempo, were also included. Including 10 songs like ‘Bambi’ from the producer ‘DAZBEE’ and other artists like ‘NieN’, ‘Tsukasa’, ‘Newton’, ‘HAYAKO’, and ‘Pure 100%’, there were a total of 20 songs.
Neowiz additionally provides DLC-only content like note and gear skin, UI, and theme skins to users of the new DLC, and gives a special mission as well. ‘V EXTENSION 3’ can be purchased on the official Steam page of ‘DJMAX RESPECT V’ for the price of 24,800 KRW.
There will also be a special event to celebrate the release of ‘V EXTENSION 3’. ‘V EXTENSION 3’ will be sold at a 15% discount until the upcoming November 23rd, and ‘DJMAX RESPECT V’ and its previous DLCs will receive up to a 75% discount until November 30th.
More specific details can be found in the official Steam page of ‘DJMAX Respect V’, and the teaser video of ‘V EXTENSION 3’ can be viewed on the official YouTube channel of DJMAX.
Kakao Entertainment and Showbox Remake the Horror Movie ‘Gonjiam’ as a Serialized Chat Fiction!
Kakao Entertainment announced that the horror thriller movie ‘Gonjiam’ will be remade into the chat fiction ‘Gonjiam’ on KakaoPage and will begin its serialization on the 17th. They plan to present a new sense of fear that’s different from movies, by adding the story telling, sound effects, and background scenes unique to chat fiction.
KakaoPage’s ‘Chat Fiction’ is a form of short-form content catered to the MZ generation and is characterized by its immersive nature that makes you feel like you are a part of the chat with the characters in the story, 3 dimensional backgrounds, music, and narration effects, which provide a more immersive experience of the content. Since its launch in September until now, they have showcased over 100 works from various genres like thrillers, slice of life romance, and fantasy, and they have built up a loyal fanbase as they try new concepts like ‘1for9’, which depicts the fictional world of the idol group YOUNITE.
The movie ‘Gonjiam’ is a horror thriller story that depicts the experiences of 7 thrill seekers in the setting of Korea’s Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, which was chosen as one of the ‘7 freakiest places around the world’ by CNN. The movie unfolds from the perspective of each actor equipped with a personal mounted camera in the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, which is a real location that existed and produced numerous creepy experiences and was known as a mecca of horror experiences and was able to vividly convey tension and extreme fear. It garnered around 2.7 million viewers and was recorded as the second highest grossing Korean horror film.
KakaoPage’s chat fiction ‘Gonjiam’ takes the 1st person point-of-view and mise-en-scene from the film ‘Gonjiam’, and remade them with the unique sound, video, and special effects of chat fictions. The background, sound, and special effects that change according to the speed the reader taps on the screen is expected to give a high level of immersion and a new level of terror to the story. Aspects of the characters, such as their personalities, traits, and relationships, which were not covered in the movie, were added as details to the story, making for a special addition. It will provide an opportunity for fans of the film ‘Gonjiam’ to appreciate the work in a new way.
Kakao Entertainment and Showbox plan to follow up on their chat fiction ‘Gonjiam’ with chat fiction spin-offs based on each character of ‘Gonjiam’. They have also drawn attention with their plans to make the film ‘In Our Prime’ starring Minsik Choi Donghwi Kim, released last March, into a chat fiction as well.
Seon-jae Hwang, the Director of Business Development at Kakao Entertainment, said that, “We believe that the film ‘Gonjiam’, which brought the spotlight to the Korean horror film genre with their selection of new material and production methods that deviated from conventional horror film narrative methods, and ‘chat fictions’, which provide story content in a new way, have a lot in common.” He then went on to say, “We hope you enjoy the charms of the chat fiction ‘Gonjiam’, which offers a different kind of horror from the movie, and we hope you stay tuned to see the other chat fictions Kakao Entertainment and Showbox have in store for the future.”
Hyun-jeong Lee, the Head of the Content Operation Division at Showbox, introduced the project, saying, “The movie ‘Gonjiam’ is a super IP that is still drawing attention in Korean and overseas content markets following their great reception from viewers at the time of its release,” and said, “Having been expanded into a new form of content as a chat fiction, this version of ‘Gonjiam’ will provide a different kind of sensational experience from the movie.” She then went on to say, “You will be able to access high-quality content based on Showbox’s IP on the various platforms of KakaoPage,” and said that, “Stay tuned for the continued collaboration between the two companies.”
Kakao Entertainment will also have special events to celebrate the serialization of the chat fiction ‘Gonjiam’. From the 17th to the 27th, 1,000 readers who have who have read over 5 episodes of ‘Gonjiam’ will be given 1,000 KakaoPage cash, and 1,000 readers who have read Kakaopage’s recommended stories including ‘Gonjiam’ will be given 2,000 cash. More details can be found on KakaoPage’s announcements.
Quick News
Alchera Develops AI Fire Detection Solution… “Preventing Indoor Fires with Wildfire Detection Technology!”
Alchera is setting out to develop an indoor fire detection solution. The solution is being developed based on Alchera’s ‘FireScout’ technology, which preemptively detects the start of wildfires through the smoke rising from mountains and AI data building know-how.
As ‘FireScout’s smoke detection learning is advanced, they plan to apply this to indoor environments to be used in various sites.
Alchera’s ‘AI Indoor Fire Detection Solution’ is expected to be fully developed for commercialization by the first half of next year. If the solution is commercialized, it can be utilized in various sites, such as warehouses, parking lots, and the inside of vehicles, that have a big risk of property damage and casualties from fires.
KRAFTON’s ‘The Bird That Drinks Tears’ Artbook Rises as Number 1 Weekly Bestseller!
KRAFTON’s artbook, ‘Overcoming Limits’, made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Yeongdo Lee’s fantasy novel, ‘The Bird That Drinks Tears’, reached the number 1 weekly bestseller spot. The artbook is solely composed of images of the world and characters of the story that were previously only seen through text. The artbook has over 300 illustrations depicting things like characters, races, backgrounds, and costumes, as well as a summary and detailed explanation of each work.
KRAFTON is working on expanding its IP of ‘The Bird That Drinks Tears’, which stays true to the original work while still being creative in its own right, to become a global IP. They also have goals to simultaneously provide various types of content to global users. They plan to showcase a graphic novel to raise awareness of ‘The Bird That Drinks Tears’ to more global readers.
Samyang Innochem Completes Production Plant for ‘Isosorbide’, a White Biomaterial Utilizing Plant Resources
Samyang group completed the construction of the first plant in Korea for ‘Isosorbide’, a white biomaterial that utilizes plant resources which has added momentum to their eco-friendly business.
Isosorbide is a white biomaterial that is made by chemically processing starches extracted from plant resources like corn. It is used in the production of plastic and paints and the like, taking the place of BPA (Bisphenol A). Plastics made from isosorbide are eco-friendly. Not only do they contribute to the reduction of carbon emission, but they also have outstanding properties like durability and thermal resistance, and can be used in food containers, automotive interior and exterior materials, and external materials of electronic products.
Companies that can commercially produce isosorbide are limited to Samyang Innochem and ROQUETTE, which is based in France, and Samyang Innochem is the only one in Korea. Samyang Innochem’s strategy is to use the completion of this plant as a catalyst to expand their supply of the global market and continuously expand the proportion of overseas sales of their eco-friendly business.
Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom