[Press Release] CJ ENM Spotlight at Series Mania Forum: "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier", "Study Group", and "Yumi's Cells"

(Courtesy of TVING)

Leading entertainment company CJ ENM spotlighted its webtoon-based series: "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier", "Study Group", and "Yumi's Cells" through the Series Mania Forum session "IP Market - Webtoon to Series: Adaptation and IP Expansion". 

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The session brought together leading creators and industry figures to explore the creative and commercial potential of adapting original IP into global series. Representing Studio Dragon, Lee Hyeyoung (Chief Producer) shared production insights on successfully translating webtoon and web novel IP into globally competitive screen content, as part of a Korea Special Session hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), which highlights the global expansion of Korean IP.

Lee highlighted the distinct strengths of webtoon IP, noting that its strong visual foundation and passionate global fandom enable highly immersive and impactful adaptations. 

Officially selected for the Series Mania Festival this year, "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" stands as one of CJ ENM's most anticipated upcoming webtoon-based series. Set against a distinctive Korean military backdrop combined with a game quest concept, the series blends humor, action, and cooking elements to engage a wide global audience. 

Building on this momentum, CJ ENM continues to demonstrate its proven track record with successful titles such as "Study Group". The series drew strong attention for its highly synchronized casting with the original webtoon, delivering both authenticity and fresh on-screen appeal. It ranked Top 5 on Rakuten Viki across 147 countries and won Best Original Production by a Streamer (Fiction) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, demonstrating both global popularity and production excellence.

Meanwhile, "Yumi's Cells" continues to showcase the scalability of webtoon IP, having been commissioned through "Yumi's Cells - Season 3", with its latest season set to premiere in April. Its unique concept-depicting the inner "cells" of characters' minds-has resonated with audiences worldwide and remains a standout example of a webtoon successfully adapted into a long-running series.

Lee also emphasized the importance of thoughtful adaptation in the production process, enhancing character depth, expanding narrative layers, and elevating the storytelling experience for global audiences while preserving the essence of the original IP.

Meanwhile, this year's Series Mania holds particular significance, marking Korea as the forum's first-ever Country of Honour-further underscoring the growing global influence of Korean content and IP-driven storytelling.