HiveMind Lowers Overseas Barriers for K-Web Novels ① — The Translation Cost Barrier Crumbling Under AI

As South Korea’s content industry has achieved rapid external growth and expanded its global presence, web novels still face high entry barriers compared to video content. This is because excessive translation costs, combined with a lack of support systems for publishing and distribution processes, impose a heavy burden in terms of time and money.

First of all, the translation work, which is the initial step for global expansion, is no easy task. Translating a full-length series spanning hundreds of episodes into a foreign language costs at least 10 million won even when applying low unit rates, yet it is difficult to guarantee whether the invested costs can be recovered. Works deemed economically unviable cannot even be considered for overseas expansion.

Startup HiveMind, which is developing the global content publishing platform ‘Aurorah’, presents artificial intelligence (AI) technology as a solution to lower these barriers. Based on collaboration between generative AI and human translators, HiveMind is building a localization, overseas publication, and distribution process for story intellectual property (IP). Aurorah aims to connect the entire publishing process — ranging from translation, proofreading, editing, and distribution to settlement for web novels — into a single platform.

Over a two-part series, IT DongA examines the causes and solutions hindering the global expansion of K-story IP. Part 1 listens to the voices of writers who experienced the translation field firsthand. Author Yung-hee Lee and Heo-kyu Lim, president of the Korea Story Writers Association, participated in this interview.

Author Yung-hee Lee debuted in 2006 with “Final Shop” and has continued creative activities for about 20 years. He currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature and Creative Writing at Mokpo National University. In the past, he worked at webtoon and web novel production companies, gaining practical experience in overseas translation and distribution. The Korea Story Writers Association, led by President Heo-kyu Lim, is a corporate body established with the approval of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, taking the lead in protecting the rights and interests of web novel and story writers and improving the creative environment.

Web Novel Export: The Most Realistic Obstacle Is Translation Costs

Author Yung-hee Lee stated that the most realistic obstacle perceived by domestic writers when exporting web novels abroad is the translation cost. He noted, “Due to the nature of long-term serialized works, web novels cost at least 10 million won even when calculating just 10 won per character for 200 episodes.” Assuming 5,000 characters per episode, 200 episodes amount to 1 million characters, which equals 10 million won even at 10 won per character.

According to the rates guided by the Ewha Research Institute for Translation Studies (applied in January 2023), translating Korean into English costs 180 to 300 won per original character, while Japanese and Chinese cost 120 to 200 won. Simply applying this to the same volume results in 180 million to 300 million won for English, and 120 million to 200 million won for Japanese and Chinese. However, this calculation is simply applied using professional translation agency rates and should be distinguished from the actual contractual costs of web novels.

The problem is that it is difficult to recover the invested translation costs. Citing 2024 web novel industry statistics, Author Yung-hee Lee explained, “Only a very small number of works generate more than 30 million won in revenue per title.” Although this statistic is based on royalties received by authors and cannot be directly compared to the scale of translation cost recovery, it shows that the income structure of the creative field is tight. He pointed out that even after investing in translation costs when overseas revenue is not as guaranteed as domestic revenue, “profits are likely to be minimal or even result in losses.” He added, “In a polarized market where the top 10% of works account for about 85% of total views, few works can afford high translation costs to attempt overseas expansion.”

Of course, there are cases where demand from overseas readers has been confirmed. The web novel “Under the Oak Tree” ranked first in Amazon’s fantasy subgenres across five countries, including the United States, immediately after its English e-book publication in 2022, and its 2024 English paperback edition became the first Korean web novel to make the New York Times bestseller list (ranking 7th in Hardcover Fiction). Dong-Uk Kim, CEO of HiveMind, explained, “When localized works are distributed on Amazon in paperback format, sales occur, but sales tend not to continue in the form of web novel serialization.” This means that lowering translation costs alone is not enough, and a process must be established to shape works in a format consumed by overseas readers.

Welcoming AI Translation, but Localization and Preservation of Style Remain Key

Both agreed that AI translation will lower the cost barrier. President Heo-kyu Lim evaluated, “AI translation is a welcome breakthrough for IP expansion, as it can drastically reduce the absolute time and cost required for translation. Given the nature of web novels where serialization speed is vital, shortening the translation period could even enable simultaneous domestic and international serialization.”

However, voices of concern coexist. Author Yung-hee Lee pointed out, “While it is clear that AI lowers translation unit costs, AI’s unique tendency to neatly and stably organize sentences can dull a novelist’s unique individuality.” This implies that the key is how precisely the author’s unique style and personality can be preserved while lowering costs.

He emphasized the role of a “cultural mediator (facilitator)” to review local cultural contexts. He explained that if emotions or scenes taboo in a particular country can be pre-screened, localization risks can be minimized from the creative planning stage to translation proofreading.

President Heo-kyu Lim also emphasized the importance of localization work exported abroad while preserving the style and nuance containing the author’s personality, as well as the work’s unique charm and context. He explained, “A bigger problem than translation costs is when the author’s style or planning intent is distorted despite spending money on translation. Damage to characters, such as the disappearance of narrative tension, is a painful loss for authors. We must consider ensuring that overseas readers feel the same fun experienced by Korean readers.”

He added, “Even if the initial quality of AI translation improves, it is difficult to perfectly handle web novel–specific slang, buzzwords, or genre terminology. Therefore, systemization of the MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) process — where human experts proofread and polish AI-translated drafts — is essential.”

HiveMind reflects this problem awareness in the workflow of the Aurorah platform. CEO Dong-Uk Kim emphasizes that while AI technology drastically shortens translation time, the role of human translators remains central. This is because the winning edge for global expansion of K-content lies in localization rather than simple translation. Titles and honorifics, generational tones, and subtle relationships between characters are areas that AI struggles to capture all at once.

What HiveMind aims for is not merely a method where humans make final corrections to AI-generated translations. Aurorah’s localization process proceeds in the order of AI initial draft translation, expert proofreading, AI review, and final human proofreading. Once AI creates a draft, professional translators check whether titles, honorifics, generational tones, and character relationships are consistently reflected throughout the work, adjusting expressions for local readers. Subsequently, AI cross-checks with the original text to ensure there are no omissions, mistranslations, or semantic distortions, re-verifying the consistency of style and expression, before a human makes the final judgment. This is why HiveMind treats translators as creators of localized content.

In September 2024, HiveMind signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with web novel distributor StorinLab for high-quality translation and overseas distribution of web novels, continuing cooperation. This year, it is participating in research and development (R&D) projects related to translation technology by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, advancing translation technology that consistently reflects character traits and long-form narrative contexts.

Works Without Prior Opportunities for Global Expansion Open Paths to Meet New Readers

HiveMind states that the purpose of introducing AI goes beyond simply reducing translation costs; it aims to help works that could not even be attempted due to cost burdens undergo iterative verification in overseas markets. CEO Dong-Uk Kim emphasized, “What AI solves is not limited to translation costs itself. The bigger change is making it possible to continuously commercialize and validate the feasibility of works across multiple language regions and markets that were previously blocked by cost barriers.”

Author Yung-hee Lee said, “Box-office hits in the domestic web novel market tended to be achieved within a somewhat limited structure. If we can overcome this limitation and explore the possibility of transitioning to various media through global platforms, the market ecosystem will be further vitalized and diversity will be secured.”

President Heo-kyu Lim also evaluated, “Until now, Korean web novels have been like isolated islands. While webtoons, dramas, and films have diverse channels to persuade overseas viewers, web novels had limited opportunities for overseas expansion without translation. Therefore, AI translation will be an opportunity to open new markets and for authors to actively showcase their works and ideas to overseas markets.” He continued, “Materials or grammar that were unfamiliar to Korean readers could provoke explosive responses from readers in certain countries. If the hurdle of translation costs is lowered, opportunities will open up for mid-level and rookie writers who have built their own worldviews without being bound by domestic trends, which will make a significant contribution to securing the diversity of the Korean web novel ecosystem in the long run.”

Ultimately, the fundamental significance of introducing AI is not translation automation, but building a structure where numerous works that could not even be considered for review due to lack of economic viability can be tested in overseas markets. The direction suggested by HiveMind is that while AI reduces translation time and costs, humans must focus on high-level domains such as work selection, editing, cultural judgment, and rights determination alongside localization work.

However, lowering the translation cost barrier does not complete overseas publishing. Subsequent processes are required to edit in a format purchased by overseas readers, distribute to local platforms, and settle sales results. The next installment examines the tasks of overseas publishing remaining after translation.

Reporter Ye-ji Kim, IT DongA (yj@itdonga.com)