Since April 27, 2026, South Korea’s largest manhwa piracy site, Newtokki, has officially gone dark and is never coming back on the internet. What set this piracy site apart from others was the fact that raw scans were almost immediately available on their platform after release in Japan.
WOAH!!South Korea’s largest illegal manhwa distribution site Newtokki, has voluntarily terminated its services starting at midnight. There are no plans to resume service in the future. The reason for this is in the comment section.#manhwa #newtokki pic.twitter.com/7aUPEIreIP— Manhwa_updates (@Manhwa_updates) April 27, 2026
While the website owners shut it down themselves, it was due to a greater effort by South Korean authorities to eliminate Manhwa piracy on the internet. Previously, the entire process was slow; however, the authorities have now started working with the local authorities in the countries where the websites operate, speeding up the takedown process. Let’s dive into the details.
South Korean Authorities Target The Piracy Network
Credits: D&C Media KAKAO
Credits: D&C Media KAKAO
Credits: D&C Media KAKAO
The main reason these websites shut down is a big change in the South Korean Copyright Act. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has introduced a new rule called the “Emergency Blockade and Access Restriction System for Illegal Sites” (as reported by Strait times). This rule goes into effect on May 11, 2026.
Before this, taking down piracy sites was a slow and painstaking process. The people running these piracy websites usually hosted them on servers outside of South Korea, which means that the South Korean government rarely had any power to get rid of those websites from the internet. This allowed the sites to stay online for a very long time.
This new amendment changes this process completely. Now, the government has the power to block access to piracy sites whenever they want, without going through a complex process. In fact, we’ve already started seeing the results of this, as a major Spanish pirate website was also taking down recently.
Furthermore, now the law won’t stop at just blocking the websites. People caught breaking these new copyright rules can face up to seven years in prison or be forced to pay heavy fines of up to 100 million won, which is about $67,850.
Initially, South Korean authorities couldn’t do anything about Newtokki as one of the operators of the website had taken Japanese citizenship, practically making himself immune. However, eventually the owners of the site voluntarily shut it down, as the government’s strict new system is starting on May 11.
It was a smart move to shut the website down themselves if there is a huge possibility of legal action against them. Perhaps, even a Japanese citizenship wouldn’t have saved the operators, as recently South Korea aided in the arrest of a Spanish man in Spain for very similar crimes.
The Simultaneous Shutdown Of Manatokki And Booktokki
Arthur from The Beginning After the End | Credit: Tapas Media
The shutdown wasn’t limited to just one website; the people running the network also managed Newtokki, Manatokki, and Booktokki at the same time. Newtokki was originally created to replace an older site called Bamtoki, which was removed from the internet in 2018. Over time, Manatokki and Booktokki were also created to manage different media, such as web novels and manga from Japan.
Operators of the websites removed all the reading materials and placed a final notice on the homepage stating that the website will soon be shut down and that there will never be another website like this again. Furthermore, user data will also be deleted. These frequent take-downs are not limited to manga and manhwa; the recent coordinated effort by multiple companies will result in many anime sites being taken down as well.
Newtokki, Manatokki, and Booktokki were known for uploading raw, untranslated chapters very quickly after they were officially released. Because they uploaded the files so fast, other piracy websites around the world relied on them as their primary source. So, this shutdown affects not just these websites, but many others that rely on it.
There is a reason that there are so many piracy sites for manhwas: fans love to stay updated about many manga chapters as they come; otherwise, getting spoiled on the internet is quite easy. Hence, when the official translations are not instantly available, readers rely on fan translations that are always pirated. Ironically, some readers prefer fan translations even when official versions exist due to specific stylistic choices.
Why did these platforms shut down?
South Korean Copyright Act was amended to include an “Emergency Blockade and Access Restriction System for Illegal Sites,” effective May 11, 2026, which allows authorities to immediately block illegal domains without protracted review.
Will the operators restore the websites?
No. The operators posted a final notice on April 27, 2026, stating the closure is permanent.
What are the legal penalties under the new South Korean copyright amendment?
A maximum penalty of seven years in prison or fines of up to 100 million won.
Do you think these new South Korean laws will actually stop digital piracy, or is it only a matter of time before a new site replaces Newtokki? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
