Bucheon International Comics Festival Appoints Cultural Industry Expert Lee Geun-wook as General Director

Held for 4 Days from September 30 to October 3
Festival Kicks Off in Full Swing with Appointment of General Director

The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (President Shin Jong-chul) announced on the 16th that Lee Geun-wook, a cultural industry expert, has been appointed as the general director of the Bucheon International Comics Festival. Photo by Korea Manhwa Contents Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (President Shin Jongchul) announced on the 16th that it has appointed Lee Geunwook, a cultural industry expert, as the general director of the Bucheon International Comics Festival.

Newly appointed general director Lee Geunwook is a cultural planning expert who has served as the general manager of the 2020 Asia Literature Festival, the festival director of the Korea Reading Festival, and the general director of the Paju Book Festival. He currently serves as the CEO of Darangeo Story and is an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Culture at Sungkonghoe University.

The Bucheon International Comics Festival is a leading domestic comics-specialized festival. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the festival was held entirely online in 2020 and 2021, but this year, marking its 25th anniversary, it will be held as an on-off hybrid festival centered on offline events.

The Bucheon International Comics Festival will be held for four days from September 30 to October 3 around the Korea Manhwa Museum area. After two years, it will welcome visitors offline with events such as the opening ceremony, exhibition of Bucheon Manhwa Awards winning works, online fan meetings with cartoonists, webtoon concert performances, comics market, and the Gyeonggi International Cosplay Championship.

Fifteen countries worldwide, including the United States, Spain, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Kuwait, will participate in this year’s festival. Communication will transcend time and space through online channels such as YouTube.

General director Lee Geunwook said, “This year’s Bucheon International Comics Festival aims to weave together the disconnection and changes during the long pandemic, along with the thoughts and trends of comics, cartoonists, and the comics ecosystem, to propose various things to see, enjoy, think about, and do.” He added, “Believing in the power of comics, which are products of imagination and flexibility of thought itself, we will deliver the message of ‘Still, let’s run and play together with comics!’ as a younger festival this year.”