earticle

영어

Webtoons have evolved beyond simple digital content to become core assets in the content industry as original IPs, with high potential for cross-media and cross-platform expansion. In recent years, transmedia strategies based on story universes and emotional immersion design have positioned webtoon IPs at the center of content convergence. This study analyzes the transmedia adaptation of the webtoon 『Hell is Other People』by Kim Yongki, focusing on how the narrative structure changes and media convergence strategies emerge when the webtoon is adapted into a television drama.The findings reveal that the original webtoon constructs a narrative centered on psychological anxiety, fear of others, and relational distrust within the closed space of a Seoul guesthouse, offering readers a deeply immersive emotional experience. In contrast, the drama adaptation transforms this into a sensory-based emotional experience, employing audiovisual stimuli and expanding the story from a first-person psychological narrative to a multi-perspective story universe. By integrating the prequel webtoon and implied narrative elements, the drama forms a more structured plot and presents possibilities for future extensions such as side stories and franchise developments. This study highlights how webtoon IPs can evolve from single emotional narratives into expansive universe-based content, and demonstrates the strategic importance of differentiated emotional immersion designs across platforms for the future of the content industry.