Hivemind's AI Aurora Lowers Web Novel Export Barriers to Japan, Facilitating Market Entry

The potential of K-webnovels is infinite, but it has been blocked by language barriers. Now, AI-based localization solution company Hivemind is breaking down this barrier and opening the door to the Japanese market. Webnovel supply contracts with publishers Insight Breeze and Storynlab signal a new global leap for K-content. The domestic webnovel market has achieved explosive growth, reaching 1.3 trillion won, but its presence on the global stage has been negligible. The mere 0.03% share of overseas exports was due to the enormous barrier of translation and localization costs amounting to tens of millions of won. This brought frustration to promising small and medium-sized publishers and creators, forcing them to abandon their dreams of expanding overseas. Hivemind solves this challenge with its innovative AI solution 'Aurorah' and a 'revenue share' model. This groundbreaking approach involves Hivemind proactively providing all translation and localization work, allowing publishers and creators to venture into overseas markets without the burden of initial costs, and then sharing the global profits generated afterward. This model eliminates initial investment risks and creates an environment where content creators can focus solely on production, truly accelerating the globalization of K-webnovels. The core of 'Aurorah' lies in its ability to translate the 'soul' of webnovels. It perfectly captures the context spanning the vast narratives of long-form novels, averaging one million characters, as well as the subtle emotional nuances of characters and unique tones, thus overcoming the limitations of existing machine translation. The hybrid process, where AI enhances the efficiency of the first draft and professional translators meticulously refine it with dedicated editors, achieves both cost reduction and top-tier quality. This ensures that the unique charm of K-webnovels can be fully conveyed to overseas readers. This innovative model has already garnered keen interest from global buyers at the recent '2025 Content IP Market'. Hivemind has revealed ambitious plans to expand the wave of K-webnovels worldwide, using the Japanese market as a bridgehead to reach North America, Southeast Asia, and other regions. Kim Dong-wook, CEO of Hivemind, stated his ambition, saying, "'Aurorah' will break down the reality where highly competitive K-webnovels were trapped by translation barriers," and "We will do our best to ensure readers worldwide can encounter diverse K-stories." Hivemind's challenge is more than just technological advancement; it will be a crucial turning point that expands the horizon of the K-content industry and leads a new Hallyu (Korean Wave).