5.67 million cumulative views, 80,000 comments

New webtoon depicts a veteran and a youth finding hope through music

'Seoul, Cadenza After 76 Years' now available

A promotional image for "Seoul Parenting Level Up." [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
A promotional image for "Seoul Parenting Level Up." [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

All five policy webtoons the Seoul Metropolitan Government has released since June last year have surpassed 1 million views each, bringing their combined total to 5.67 million views, the city announced Sunday.

It is unusual for government or local authority policy webtoons — typically expected to be dry reading — to draw such strong viewership. Observers inside and outside the Seoul Metropolitan Government credit the result to content and storytelling that resonated with readers.

The five titles cover parenting and childbirth ("Seoul Parenting Level Up"), youth struggles and growth ("Seoul Youth Level Up"), middle age and family life ("Seoul Middle Age Level Up: Spring Again"), transportation and safety ("Seoul, Riding Toward Dreams"), and the recovery of isolated and withdrawn youth ("1% Battery, 120 Knocks"). The series has also accumulated roughly 80,000 reader comments in total.

The city released its sixth policy webtoon, "Seoul, Cadenza After 76 Years," on Kakao Page on Thursday morning. The new work follows a young person who lost hearing in one ear after an accident and a Korean War veteran as they heal each other's wounds and find hope through music. Park Ha, the artist behind the webtoon "Gold Hands" — which has logged 14.76 million cumulative views — contributed to the production.

The story features key Seoul Metropolitan Government projects and landmarks, including the Han River bus service, Nodeul Global Arts Island and the Garden of Gratitude. The series runs five episodes in total — four webtoon chapters and one animated episode — all available free on Kakao Page.

"We will continue to release policy webtoons that citizens can relate to and enjoy," said Kim Hyong-rae, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's public relations planning officer.


ken@heraldcorp.com