1.54 Million UCIs Issued for Webtoons and Web Novels...To Be Deposited at the National Library of Korea from December

National Library of Korea to Hold UCI System 1st Anniversary Workshop on October 2

Identification Numbers Issued for 300,000 Webtoons and 1.24 Million Web Novels

Industry Feedback on Improvements to Be Collected

It has been one year since the system for assigning Universal Content Identifiers (UCIs) to webtoons and web novels serialized online was launched. Over the past year, approximately 1.54 million UCIs have been issued, and from December of this year, webtoons and web novels with assigned UCIs will also be subject to deposit at the National Library of Korea.

Poster for the "Webtoon and Web Novel UCI 1st Anniversary Workshop" hosted by the National Library of Korea on the 2nd of next month. The event will share the achievements and challenges of the UCI system operation over the past year and provide guidance on the webtoon and web novel deposit system to be implemented from December 3rd. National Library of Korea

According to the National Library of Korea on September 29, since UCIs began to be assigned to online webtoons and web novels in September last year, identification numbers have been issued for about 300,000 webtoons and approximately 1.24 million web novels, totaling about 1.54 million pieces of content.

The Universal Content Identifier (UCI) is a unique identification number assigned to each piece of digital content. This system enables each piece of content to be accurately identified and used for management and distribution purposes.

To mark the first anniversary of the system's introduction, the National Library of Korea will hold the "Webtoon and Web Novel UCI 1st Anniversary Workshop" at 2:00 p.m. on the 2nd of next month at the National Library of Korea’s Digital Library in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The workshop will bring together industry stakeholders involved in webtoon and web novel creation, production, and distribution to discuss the outcomes of the system's operation over the past year and future directions for improvement.

At the workshop, Beomgang Seo, president of the Korea IP Convergence Content Association, will give a presentation on "One Year of Operating the Webtoon and Web Novel UCI System: Achievements and Challenges." The National Library of Korea will also provide guidance on the UCI registration management system for web content and on the deposit process for UCI-assigned webtoons and web novels.

The library also plans to collect feedback on inconveniences and requests for improvements experienced by content production companies, publishers, and distributors during the UCI application process, and to reflect these in next year’s projects.

The deposit system for webtoons and web novels will also change. In accordance with the revised Library Act, from December 3rd, webtoons and web novels assigned UCIs will be included among the works subject to deposit at the National Library of Korea. Accordingly, the upcoming workshop will provide information on the actual deposit process, including which content is subject to deposit and the procedures involved.

Kim Hyeryeon, head of the Online Resources Division at the National Library of Korea, stated, "Thanks to the advice and active cooperation of those involved in webtoons and web novels since the initial implementation of the web content UCI system, the assignment of UCIs is proceeding smoothly. We hope many stakeholders will participate in this event, which has been organized to address remaining issues and achieve further improvements."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.