South Korean fan platforms FanDing and Naver Webtoon expand offline experiences

FanDing, a Korean fan‑business platform, announced that expanding offline fan experiences is its key H1 2024 focus. The company highlighted the 1,500‑seat "Big Money Festival" held at Sejong University, which combined creator talks, booths and giveaways for audiences ranging from their 20s to 50s. It also promoted its permanent sub‑culture space "초(超) 가구야 공주!", which recorded 7,618 visitor entries, showcasing the potential of moving IP‑based fandom into physical venues. FanDing said it will continue adding offline events and permanent stores throughout the year to strengthen the creator‑fan ecosystem.

Naver Webtoon is also rolling out a series of pop‑up stores in Seoul’s Yongsan iPark Mall, operating through December. The first pop‑up, "Our Guild Idol," runs from August 1‑28 and recreates the web‑toon’s guild room for fans to interact with characters, purchase 44 new merchandise items and limited‑edition photo cards. Subsequent pop‑ups will feature other popular titles such as "시든 꽃에 눈물을" and "내가 키운 S급들," extending web‑toon IP from digital reading to tangible fan experiences.