HiveMind Lowers Web Novel Export Cost Barriers with AI Solution “Aurorah,” Targets Japanese Market

Platum, Dec 13, 2025

HiveMind, an AI-powered content localization solutions company, has signed web novel supply agreements with publishers Insight Breeze and StorinLab, marking its entry into the Japanese market.

Although South Korea’s web novel market is valued at approximately KRW 1.3 trillion, global exports account for only 0.03 percent—roughly USD 400,000. Translation and localization costs, which can reach tens of millions of won per title, have long served as a major barrier preventing small and mid-sized publishers and creators from expanding overseas.

To address this issue, HiveMind has introduced a revenue-sharing model powered by its AI solution, Aurorah. Under this model, HiveMind provides translation and localization upfront, eliminating initial cost burdens, and later shares overseas revenue with publishing partners.

Aurorah’s core technology features a proprietary system capable of preserving the full context of long-form web novels, typically exceeding one million characters. This enables consistent narrative flow and character tone, overcoming key limitations of traditional machine translation. In addition, Aurorah combines AI-generated initial translations with professional human review through a dedicated editor, achieving both cost efficiency and high translation quality.

HiveMind recently showcased this model at the 2025 Content IP Market, where it drew attention from global buyers. Starting with Japan, the company plans to expand its services into North America and Southeast Asia.

CEO Warren Kim of HiveMind stated, “Despite the strong competitiveness of Korean web novels, exports have been limited due to high translation costs. Through Aurorah, we aim to help more K-stories reach readers around the world.”

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