Seven companies in the Webtoon Illegal Distribution Response Council, including Kakao Entertainment and Naver Webtoon, welcomed the repatriation to South Korea of a suspect accused of operating an illegal pirated comics distribution site.

The council issued a joint statement on Thursday thanking four related agencies for their continued investigative and cooperation efforts: the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Korea National Police Agency. The council currently comprises seven companies: Kakao Entertainment, Naver Webtoon, Ridi, Kidari Studio, Lezhin Entertainment, Topco Media and Toomics.

The council assessed the repatriation as meaningful progress in holding to account, under law and principle, copyright infringements that have long caused massive damage to creators, rights holders and the broader platform industry.

The council stressed that damage from illegal distribution goes beyond losses from viewing and includes reduced creator income, a contraction in legitimate consumption, secondary spread and lost global business opportunities, causing long-term losses across the ecosystem.

It said the impact of illegal consumption on the legitimate distribution ecosystem is very large given industry characteristics in comics, webtoons and web novels, where early-reader value and fandom formation are important. The council added that strict punishment for operators and a system to prevent repeat offenses are essential to stop illegal sites from repeatedly changing addresses and operating through workarounds.

A council official said the repatriation shows that only strict legal accountability and effective sanctions can curb illegal distribution and raise public awareness. The official said the council will work closely with the government and related agencies to strengthen a joint response system so a healthy creative ecosystem can be maintained.