Naver Webtoon Launches Relay Popup "The S-Class Hunters I Raised"…Opens Sept. 23 with 'Dungeon Break: Yongsan' Concept

Naver Webtoon announced on Sept. 23 that it has selected <The S-Class Hunters I Raised> as the third work in its relay popup store series featuring popular webtoon IPs, and will operate the 'Dungeon Break: Yongsan' popup store at Dopamine Station on the 3rd floor of Living Park at I'Park Mall in Yongsan, Seoul from Sept. 23 to Oct. 15.

<The S-Class Hunters I Raised> is a contemporary fantasy hunter story about Han Yu-jin, an F-class hunter who had only held back her successful S-class sibling Han Yu-hyeon, who regresses after her sibling's death, obtains the title of 'Perfect Guardian,' and saves the world together with the S-class hunters she raises. Based on the web novel by author Geun-seo, the work has surpassed 780 million cumulative global views and continues to enjoy high popularity.

This popup is structured around the setting of a mysterious gate opening at Yongsan Station, allowing visitors to directly experience the world of F-class hunter Han Yu-jin and the S-class hunters she raises in an offline space.

At the venue, visitors can find 50 new merchandise items being unveiled for the first time, including acrylic stands, can badges, and keychains, as well as graphic novels, the collecting card series 'The S-Class Hunters I Raised Highlight Pick,' and 10 types of photo cards that can only be purchased at the on-site kiosk during the popup operation period. Merchandise from popular works such as <Maru the Puppy> and <Today, Wednesday is a Woman> will also be sold.

Three types of games exclusive to the venue have also been prepared. Visitors who participate in or win the games will receive special perks such as character wallpapers and hunter certificates, while customers who purchase 7 million won or more will receive an epoxy sticker pack as a purchase benefit.

The popup store will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and will operate on the same schedule during the Chuseok holiday from Sept. 24 to 26.

Previously, the second popup <Tears on Withered Flowers> exceeded 1 million won in maximum single purchase per person and received a positive response, with random trading cards selling out early and additional production being made.

Meanwhile, Naver Webtoon is expanding popular IPs discovered on-platform into off-platform areas such as animation, games, and merchandise, and strengthening a virtuous cycle where these IPs expand their fandom and return to the platform.

Within the on-platform space, the company has expanded reader touchpoints through digital services such as the AI story chat 'byUs' and 'Character Chat' based on original author approval, and this relay popup store, which is part of the off-platform domain, also extends the on-off platform linkage strategy that webtoon entertainment has pursued.

Naver Webtoon plans to use this achievement as an opportunity to flexibly present the spatial composition, products, and events of popup stores tailored to the characteristics of each work and fan responses, thereby expanding the lifecycle of webtoon IPs.