''Welcome to Convenience Store'' () is a South Korean

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

created by Ji Kang-min. The webtoon began in February 2008 and received an award at the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival that same year. A paperback version was released on October 23, 2008. ''Welcome to Convenience Store'' was adapted into multiple

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

, as well as a mobile game distributed by

Kakao Kakao ( ko, 카카오) is a South Korean internet company that was established in 2010. It formed as a result of a merger between Daum Communications and the original Kakao Inc. In 2014, the company was renamed Daum Kakao. The company rebrande ...

. Characters from the webtoon have appeared in a variety of media and merchandise.

Development

Photographer Ji Kang-min started drawing ''Welcome to Convenience Store'' in 2008, thinking it would be nice to release a story based on one of the most well-known settings. Kang-min gets a large amount of

fanmail ''FanMail'' is the third studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 23, 1999, by LaFace and Arista Records. The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans who sent them fan mail during their hiatus. ''FanMail'' debuted at numb ...

containing stories and concerns from retail employees, some of which he introduces to the webtoon. Kang-min stated in 2010 that the webtoon doesn't make him much money, which was his reason to expand to different types of media, such as animation. In an interview with ''

The Korea Times ''The Korea Times'' is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea. It is a sister paper of the '' Hankook Ilbo'', a major Korean language daily; both are owned by Dongwha Enterprise, a wood-based manufacture ...

'', Kang-min stated that when he started drawing cartoons, he overworked himself as there was a large amount of labor to do. During this period, he spent two days per week writing up

scripts Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

, and the other five days to draw the cartoon itself. As of 2015, he only needs two days to draw the comic itself, as he no longer has to use up his time with routine processes. For example, he no longer needs to draw backgrounds, as he adapted 3D-rendered backgrounds. Kang-min stated that his life motto is to "not to skip a meal and not to pass a night without sleep," and that he is currently "fully benefiting from my digitalized environment." In 2015, Kang-min started a new webtoon series titled ''The Commute Family'', which focuses on the everyday events in

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

. The new series is published on

KakaoPage KakaoPage () is a monetized content platform optimized for mobile devices, launched by the Kakao Corp. in 2013 and currently owned by its subsidiary Kakao Entertainment. The service launched on April 9, 2013 as a digital content marketplace allow ...

rather than Naver.

Summary

''Welcome to Convenience Store'' chronicles the everyday, yet silly events at a fictional South Korean convenience store. Though the webtoon is purely episodic in nature, it features a recurring set of part-time workers. Kang-min initially intended to focus primarily on the store's employees, but after receiving positive responses from his readers, he shifted the focus of the webtoon more to the customers.

Other media

In 2010,

Yoo Se-yoon Yoo Se-yoon (; born September 12, 1980) is a South Korean comedian and television comedy show host. He hosts and co-hosts a variety of shows, in addition to being a part of musical/comedic duo, UV. Yoo has been a part of shows such as South Kor ...

of the comedy music duo UV revealed "Convenience", a music video featuring characters from ''Welcome to Convenience Store''. Convenience store chain 7-Eleven featured characters from the webtoon on its products, and some of the characters have been realized as toys by Korean toy manufacturer Oxford Blocks.

Animation

A web animation based on ''Welcome to Convenience Store'' was produced in October 2009. Published on Naver and later broadcast on

Tooniverse Tooniverse (; portmanteau short for ''Cartoon Universe'') is a cartoon and anime channel broadcast by CJ ENM E&M Division (formerly On-Media), in South Korea. Tooniverse commenced airing in December 1995 and is currently one of the leading anim ...

, the animated series was intended for promotional purposes rather than direct profit, and it was the first web animation based on a webtoon, or "''Ostuni''". An animated television series based on ''Welcome to Convenience Store'' was announced in 2010, and eventually produced by cable channel Tooniverse in 2012. The series was produced as part of the 2010 "Annie Challenge" and was aired as 20 episodes, each 30 minutes long. Members of the South Korean boy band

Infinite Infinite may refer to: Mathematics * Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set *Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit Music *Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band *''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...

appeared in the series as guest stars, as well as singing the opening theme "Always Open".

Mobile game

''Welcome to Convenience Store'' was adapted into a mobile game in 2014, distributed through KakaoTalk. The video game, titled ''Work It! Convenience Store'', quickly became one of the top-selling games on

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

. The game won the "Best Korean Mobile Game Business" in 2014. ''Work It!'' exceeded 500,000 downloads in the first weeks of its launch, and has been downloaded by over five million people as of March 2016. In ''Work It!'', the player takes on the role of manager of a convenience store, as which he can decorate the building, purchase wares, and perform a variety of chores. Through the course of the game, a player can eventually create their own "unique" convenience store. ''Work It!'' includes various intricate systems such as

street vendors A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether statio ...

and plant food that allow players to micromanage their store. The game also features various mechanics that allows the player to assist or compete against other players.

Reception

''Welcome to Convenience Store'' received an award at the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival in 2008. Characters from the webtoon were exhibited as a

pop-up store Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to catch onto a fad or scheduled e ...

in the Korean Comics Museum in January 2015. In 2010, Kang-min's webtoon spurred some political controversy when he published a page featuring a girl apprehending a

shoplifter Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

based on the way he looked. Kang-min apologized shortly after, and stated that he would give "more careful consideration when selecting the material" to use in the webtoon in the future.

References

External links

*
Welcome to Convenience Store
' at Naver *
Welcome to Convenience Store: The Animation
' at Naver {{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome to Convenience Store South Korean webtoons Comedy webtoons Animated web series Naver Corporation Naver Comics titles Comics adapted into animated series Television shows based on South Korean webtoons Video games based on webtoons 2000s webtoons 2008 webtoon debuts 2010s webtoons