![An illegal webtoon site. [Kakao Entertainment]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/02/news-p.v1.20260427.99fe781833a344aa974544070e1455fa_P1.png)
Webtoon artists are reporting a sharp increase in paid revenue following the closure of major illegal webtoon sites Bamtoki and Newtoki, with one creator saying his earnings tripled in a single month.
On Sunday, webtoon artist Park Hyun-wook, who publishes under the pen name Hyunwook, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he had not expected much to change after Bamtoki's closure — assuming his work was not even on the site. "But this month my paid-view revenue grew to about three times what it was last month," he wrote. He added that even without direct proof of a causal link, "Bamtoki disappearing is the right outcome."
Park's reference to "Bamtoki" is widely understood to mean Newtoki. The original Bamtoki was shut down in 2018 after its operator was arrested, and Newtoki subsequently became in effect the largest illegal webtoon and web novel sharing site in South Korea.
Newtoki posted a closure notice in April, halting access to pirated content. Its operators said they have no plans to resume the service.
Web novel writer "Pangtrash" shared Park's post and added that her own paid-view revenue had risen to about 2.5 times last month's figure. Another user commented, "Paying for creative work is the right way," calling it "a world set right."
![The Naver Webtoon booth at the Amazing Festival in France in 2024. [Naver Webtoon]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/02/news-p.v1.20260309.2727f139f19c424490d6c685f0fe8643_P1.jpg)
The webtoon industry has long argued that illegal sites drag down the paid market as a whole. The more readers grow accustomed to free access, the less they spend on legitimate platforms — squeezing creator income and undermining the broader industry ecosystem.
In response, the government introduced an emergency blocking regime for illegal webtoon sites, which took effect May 11. However, a number of illegal sites are still operating, some claiming to be "the real Newtoki."
Park made his debut in 2009 with "Gaepan" on Naver Webtoon. He has since serialized works including "Sinodik," "K9," "Honey Badger Don't Care" and "Aztec Mythology in Comics."
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