A promotional artwork for the horror-occult webtoon “Maengjong” / Courtesy of Naver Webtoon
The sprawling occult universe of “Exhuma,” the supernatural thriller that captivated more than 10 million moviegoers to become one of Korea’s biggest box office sensations, is expanding into the digital comic realm.
Naver Webtoon said Friday that it will launch “Maengjong,” a prequel spinoff of the blockbuster film, on its platform Saturday evening. The debut arrives just as local appetite for horror and supernatural thrillers begins its seasonal spike ahead of the humid summer months.
The new series delves into the formative teenage years of Hwa-rim and Bong-gil, a charismatic duo of shamans whose slick, youth-driven subversion of ancient rituals anchored the emotional core of the film. “Maengjong” explores the eerie undercurrents of their lives before the timeline of the movie, tracing the genesis of their partnership.
The narrative follows Hwa-rim, a high school student living a quiet, cloistered life after a childhood entanglement with a snake deity named Jin. Her fragile status quo is upended when she meets Bong-gil at school, initiating a chain of supernatural events. The title itself — written with Chinese characters that translate to “blind obedience” — alludes to the unconditional execution of orders without moral judgment, a theme that creators say will heavily influence the psychological horror of the plot.
To execute the transition from screen to digital scroll, Naver Webtoon has tapped the writer and illustrator Haemuri, the creator behind the psychological thriller “Trapped,” who has built a dedicated following for crafting claustrophobic character dynamics and high-tension pacing.
The project reflects a broader trend within the Korean entertainment industry to aggressively leverage successful cinematic intellectual properties across multiple media platforms.
“This adaptation allows the world of ‘Exhuma’ to evolve through an entirely new format,” said Lee Hyun-jung, an executive director at Showbox, the film’s production and distribution company.
Lee Jung-geun, the head of Korean webtoon content at Naver Webtoon, added that readers could expect Haemuri’s trademark suspense-driven direction to offer a seamless bridge for both existing cinephiles and new readers looking for a sophisticated chill.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
