ID :
43965
Tue, 02/03/2009 - 18:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/43965
The shortlink copeid
(Yonhap Feature) Korea`s `manhwa` turns to new page
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- They are books with pictures, hardly highbrow or
educational enough to compete with the classics. But with an unusual flair and
depth, Korean comic books hatched as their very own literary genre a century ago.
In the United States, they are called "graphic novels," a term created to
distinguish the lengthy Asian comics -- usually serialized in more than two books
-- from one-column or one-page comics in the West. Koreans call them "manhwa," a
precious cultural medium that has managed to connect all generations in the
rapidly developing country.
While the sales volume of comic books shrank by several fold during the past
decades in the face of Internet expansion, manhwa managed to keep up its cultural
power by being made into dozens of films and TV series. Touching off people's
childhood memories, most of these adaptations were well received in and out of
the country, appearing to present a new future for the genre.
The phenomenon, however, still falls far short compared to the power of Japanese
manga, which continues to flow into the overseas market, dominating more than 80
percent of the comic book publications here.
"We have done relatively well," Culture Minister Yu In-chon said at a forum with
cartoonists and animation producers last week. "But it is time we put our heads
together to improve this source (manhwa) -- the core of our cultural strength."
To mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the manhwa genre this year,
the Korean Culture Ministry has mapped out a 140 billion won (US$100 million)
plan. Under a "one-source, multi-use" strategy, the government aims to expand and
connect manhwa with various cultural and IT sectors, including film, animation,
TV dramas, games and more.
As the first part of the five-year plan, the Korea Culture and Content Agency
this week opened Korean comics exhibitions in Paris and France. The events
display works of seven veteran Korean cartoonists spanning Korea's colonial
period (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-53), the politically turbulent 1980s and
90s, and the emergence of Web-based work in the 21st century.
"This is just the beginning," said Hwang Kyung-tae, the chief organizer of the
annual Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. "Many more overseas
promotion events will follow, as well as training and exchange programs for local
cartoonists and animation producers."
Despite the ambitious goals, experts who participated in last week's forum raised
concerns that the efforts may fall short of shoring up the manhwa industry.
"The biggest problem, I think, is the fact that Koreans regard manhwa as free
content to view online," said Kim Dong-hwa, head of the Korea Cartoonist
Association. "Kang Full, who is considered the best-selling comic book author in
the country, barely makes 3 million won a month. As cartoonists can only create a
limited number of new episodes each year, we need to change the concept and pay
them what they really deserve."
As one of the world's most wired countries, South Korea was the first in the
world to create "Webtoons," a term for comics posted and viewed online.
Kang Full is considered the pioneer of Web comics. He launched a personal Web
site in 2002, posting his work for anyone to access free of charge, and by 2008,
the site had gotten more than 500 million hits. Several of his comics, including
"Love Story" and "Pointless Psychological Mystery, aka Apartment," were made into
films, TV dramas and theatrical plays.
While the emerging phenomenon of Webtoons serves as a new money-making tool for
young cartoonists, online success hasn't led to a boom in the overall manhwa
industry because Webtoons are provided free of charge.
Hur Young-man -- a veteran author of several celebrated series including "Le
Grand Chef" and "Tazza," introduced in movie and TV drama adaptations last year
-- is critical of Webtoons.
"When I went to Japan three years ago, officials there told me they would never
provide cartoons for free on the Internet," he said. "Frankly, I am concerned
that Japan will soon also take over the online sector, the only area where Korean
manhwa has managed to stand strong, and make better use of it."
Lee Hyun-se, author of "The Frightening Outsiders' Baseball Team," an adaptation
of which will be aired on TV from next month, said manhwa should turn to new
markets like Internet protocol television (IPTV).
"Let's be frank and admit Korean manhwa can no longer compete with Japanese manga
in magazine publications or on animation channels," the renowned cartoonist said.
Japan has more than 300 monthly comic magazines, while Korea has only 12,
according to government data. At least 10 domestic cartoon magazines have stopped
publication during the last two years due to a lack of subscribers.
More than 90 percent of the series that air on domestic anime channels, including
Tooniverse, are Japanese.
"Korea managed to penetrate the online market, but it is still strictly local and
has failed to become a steady source of income for cartoonists," Lee added. "This
does not leave us much choice but to look elsewhere. One of the best ways, I
think, would be for the government to give manhwa its own channel on IPTV."
IPTV has long been touted as the new growth engine of the TV entertainment
industry, with the three firms licensed to provide services -- KT Corp., LG Dacom
Corp. and SK Broadband -- making a combined investment of nearly 4 trillion won.
IPTV is capable of conveying information both to and from the viewer because it
uses computer networks instead of traditional broadcasting technologies. By
having their own spots, animation-makers will be able to earn large profits from
advertising firms that will air ads for products that share the same demographic
as the program's audience. In the case of cartoon channels, toys and school
supplies would likely be marketed.
Experts also demand better translation for Korean comic books. Because publishers
are often hasty in printing English-language versions, the translation quality of
manhwa has always been in question.
"Graphic novels (mostly Korean manhwa and Japanese manga) take up more than half
of the whole U.S. comic book market, adding up to at least 250 billion won
annually," said Kim Jong-bum, director of Urimana Solidarity. "We must strive to
improve the translation quality in order to keep the sales going overseas."
"The strength of Korean manhwa is in the less lascivious, more realistic
depictions of everyday lives, in comparison to Japanese manga," Kim added. "The
first step is for us to clearly recognize the potential and the cultural value of
manhwa."
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- They are books with pictures, hardly highbrow or
educational enough to compete with the classics. But with an unusual flair and
depth, Korean comic books hatched as their very own literary genre a century ago.
In the United States, they are called "graphic novels," a term created to
distinguish the lengthy Asian comics -- usually serialized in more than two books
-- from one-column or one-page comics in the West. Koreans call them "manhwa," a
precious cultural medium that has managed to connect all generations in the
rapidly developing country.
While the sales volume of comic books shrank by several fold during the past
decades in the face of Internet expansion, manhwa managed to keep up its cultural
power by being made into dozens of films and TV series. Touching off people's
childhood memories, most of these adaptations were well received in and out of
the country, appearing to present a new future for the genre.
The phenomenon, however, still falls far short compared to the power of Japanese
manga, which continues to flow into the overseas market, dominating more than 80
percent of the comic book publications here.
"We have done relatively well," Culture Minister Yu In-chon said at a forum with
cartoonists and animation producers last week. "But it is time we put our heads
together to improve this source (manhwa) -- the core of our cultural strength."
To mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the manhwa genre this year,
the Korean Culture Ministry has mapped out a 140 billion won (US$100 million)
plan. Under a "one-source, multi-use" strategy, the government aims to expand and
connect manhwa with various cultural and IT sectors, including film, animation,
TV dramas, games and more.
As the first part of the five-year plan, the Korea Culture and Content Agency
this week opened Korean comics exhibitions in Paris and France. The events
display works of seven veteran Korean cartoonists spanning Korea's colonial
period (1910-1945), the Korean War (1950-53), the politically turbulent 1980s and
90s, and the emergence of Web-based work in the 21st century.
"This is just the beginning," said Hwang Kyung-tae, the chief organizer of the
annual Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. "Many more overseas
promotion events will follow, as well as training and exchange programs for local
cartoonists and animation producers."
Despite the ambitious goals, experts who participated in last week's forum raised
concerns that the efforts may fall short of shoring up the manhwa industry.
"The biggest problem, I think, is the fact that Koreans regard manhwa as free
content to view online," said Kim Dong-hwa, head of the Korea Cartoonist
Association. "Kang Full, who is considered the best-selling comic book author in
the country, barely makes 3 million won a month. As cartoonists can only create a
limited number of new episodes each year, we need to change the concept and pay
them what they really deserve."
As one of the world's most wired countries, South Korea was the first in the
world to create "Webtoons," a term for comics posted and viewed online.
Kang Full is considered the pioneer of Web comics. He launched a personal Web
site in 2002, posting his work for anyone to access free of charge, and by 2008,
the site had gotten more than 500 million hits. Several of his comics, including
"Love Story" and "Pointless Psychological Mystery, aka Apartment," were made into
films, TV dramas and theatrical plays.
While the emerging phenomenon of Webtoons serves as a new money-making tool for
young cartoonists, online success hasn't led to a boom in the overall manhwa
industry because Webtoons are provided free of charge.
Hur Young-man -- a veteran author of several celebrated series including "Le
Grand Chef" and "Tazza," introduced in movie and TV drama adaptations last year
-- is critical of Webtoons.
"When I went to Japan three years ago, officials there told me they would never
provide cartoons for free on the Internet," he said. "Frankly, I am concerned
that Japan will soon also take over the online sector, the only area where Korean
manhwa has managed to stand strong, and make better use of it."
Lee Hyun-se, author of "The Frightening Outsiders' Baseball Team," an adaptation
of which will be aired on TV from next month, said manhwa should turn to new
markets like Internet protocol television (IPTV).
"Let's be frank and admit Korean manhwa can no longer compete with Japanese manga
in magazine publications or on animation channels," the renowned cartoonist said.
Japan has more than 300 monthly comic magazines, while Korea has only 12,
according to government data. At least 10 domestic cartoon magazines have stopped
publication during the last two years due to a lack of subscribers.
More than 90 percent of the series that air on domestic anime channels, including
Tooniverse, are Japanese.
"Korea managed to penetrate the online market, but it is still strictly local and
has failed to become a steady source of income for cartoonists," Lee added. "This
does not leave us much choice but to look elsewhere. One of the best ways, I
think, would be for the government to give manhwa its own channel on IPTV."
IPTV has long been touted as the new growth engine of the TV entertainment
industry, with the three firms licensed to provide services -- KT Corp., LG Dacom
Corp. and SK Broadband -- making a combined investment of nearly 4 trillion won.
IPTV is capable of conveying information both to and from the viewer because it
uses computer networks instead of traditional broadcasting technologies. By
having their own spots, animation-makers will be able to earn large profits from
advertising firms that will air ads for products that share the same demographic
as the program's audience. In the case of cartoon channels, toys and school
supplies would likely be marketed.
Experts also demand better translation for Korean comic books. Because publishers
are often hasty in printing English-language versions, the translation quality of
manhwa has always been in question.
"Graphic novels (mostly Korean manhwa and Japanese manga) take up more than half
of the whole U.S. comic book market, adding up to at least 250 billion won
annually," said Kim Jong-bum, director of Urimana Solidarity. "We must strive to
improve the translation quality in order to keep the sales going overseas."
"The strength of Korean manhwa is in the less lascivious, more realistic
depictions of everyday lives, in comparison to Japanese manga," Kim added. "The
first step is for us to clearly recognize the potential and the cultural value of
manhwa."
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
