Naver WEBTOON and Interpol shut down 3 manga and webtoon piracy sites in international cooperation
Anime & Manga Aug 14, 2026Add to bookmarks
A coordinated operation between Naver WEBTOON, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), and Interpol has led to the removal of three English-language manga and webtoon piracy platforms. A victory, but mirror sites continue to proliferate.
The Operation
Naver WEBTOON – the Korean webtoon platform (manhwa in vertical format, mobile-optimized), one of the largest in the world – coordinated an operation with the MCST (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture) and Interpol to remove three piracy sites offering unofficial English translations of webtoons and manga. Anime News Network reported on the operation on August 14, 2026.
Context: Manga and Webtoon Piracy in English
The English-language online manga and webtoon market is heavily fueled by piracy sites that offer scans and unofficial translations (scanlations), often available before legal releases. These sites directly deprive studios, mangaka, and legal platforms (Shueisha’s Manga Plus, official Webtoon, Crunchyroll Manga, etc.) of substantial revenue.
The three dismantled sites collectively attracted over 130 million annual visits, according to Anime News Network. A massive audience diverted away from legal platforms.
A scanlation is a scanned and translated version of a manga or webtoon by volunteer fans without the rights holders' permission. A long-standing practice in the manga community, it now directly competes with legal platforms offering official translations, often for free (Manga Plus, Webtoon).
What This Operation Changes – and What It Doesn’t
What it changes: Three more piracy sites are gone from the visible web. Interpol’s involvement in such an operation is notable—it signals that digital intellectual property piracy is increasingly treated as an international legal issue, not just a national one.
What it doesn’t change: Manga and webtoon piracy remains rampant. For every site removed, several mirrors or successors reappear within days. The non-paying reader community has well-established habits (lists of alternative sites on Reddit, Discord, etc.) that make platform removal ineffective in the long run.
The Stakes for the Industry
For Naver WEBTOON, whose business model relies on premium subscriptions and coin purchases (virtual currency to unlock episodes), piracy represents a direct loss of revenue. The platform has also expanded partnerships with animation studios and publishers for adaptations—boosting its IP’s value and justifying coordinated international legal actions.
The real solution to piracy, as in this sector, remains practical, fast, and affordable legal access: when official platforms release chapters simultaneously in multiple languages on release day (like Manga Plus with Shueisha series), piracy rates drop significantly.
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Article produced by artificial intelligence, reviewed under human editorial control.
