The terms “manga” and “manhwa” actually come from the Chinese term “manhua,” which means “impromptu drawings.” Originally, these terms were used within Japan, Korea, and China, respectively, as general terms for all comics and graphic novels, regardless of the country of origin. Now, international readers use these terms to refer to comics that are published in a specific country: manga are Japanese comics, manhwa are Korean comics, and manhua are Chinese comics. The creators of these East Asian comics also have specific titles: a person who makes manga is a “mangaka,” a person who creates manhwa is a "manhwaga,” and a person who makes manhua is a “manhuajia.” Along with etymology, each country has also historically influenced one another’s comics.
In late 19th-century Japan, the popularity of manga skyrocketed with the Godfather of Manga, Tezuka Osamu, the creator of Astro Boy. There was a great demand for manga due to an increase in readership in the 1950s and 1960s, and soon after, manga became a global phenomenon with overseas readership starting in the late 1980s.
Manhwa has its own history of development. During the Japanese Occupation (1910–1945) of Korea, Japanese soldiers brought their culture and language into Korean society, including the importation of manga. In the 1930s and 1950s, manhwa was used as propaganda for war efforts and to impose a political ideology on civilians. Manhwa became popular during the 1950s and 1960s but declined due to the strict censorship laws in the mid-1960s. However, manhwa became popular again when South Korea launched websites that publish digital manhwa known as webtoons, such as Daum Webtoon in 2003 and Naver Webtoon in 2004. Then, in 2014, NaverWebtoon launched globally as LINE Webtoon.