The domestic webtoon industry posted over one trillion won in sales for the first time last year since data began to be compiled in 2017.

According to data by the culture ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the web-based comic market recorded sales of one-point-05 trillion won in 2020, up 64-point-six percent from a year earlier.

Finding new works and writers was cited as the most difficult challenge in the industry at 58 percent followed by not enough professional manpower in planning and production, the prevalence of illegal file-sharing sites and difficulty in funding and attracting investment.

Illegal distribution of webtoons is estimated to have caused damages of 550 billion won last year. Among writers, over 66 percent were women and those in their 30s and younger accounted for nearly 84 percent.

The data covered two separate surveys on 67 firms and 710 writers.