Webtoon Newcomer Lee Hyun-se, the Creator, Talks About 'The Power of Comics as Cultural Content'

The 25th Bucheon International Comics Festival Expert Symposium 'Departure to Another World'
October 1st, 12 PM at Bucheon Korean Manhwa Contents Agency

Cartoonist Lee Hyun-se. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The 25th Bucheon International Comics Festival announced on the 28th that it will hold an expert symposium on October 1st at the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency's One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center.

On this day, the program will explore comics in various different (異, e, 理, 利) worlds amidst the recent trend of South Korea emerging as a cultural powerhouse with outstanding K-pop, dramas, movies, comics, and webtoons, discussing the power of comics as cultural content.

The session will be led by storytelling expert and Cultural Heritage Committee member Yoon Joo, director of the Korea Regional Culture Ecology Institute. Renowned artist Lee Hyun-se and leading experts from various fields will share how Korean comics transcend genres and merge with new worlds.

Broadcast platform expert and OTT platform specialist Yoo Geon-sik, director of the KBS Public Media Research Institute, will explain topics such as ▲comic-based dramas ▲content expansion into movies ▲why global OTT platforms are interested in Korean content ▲and the global success factors of works like Squid Game. Additionally, Lee Hyun-se, a representative Korean comic artist who debuted as a rookie webtoon artist, will share his opinions on video works that well express comic characteristics.

Lee Kwang-yong, vice president of Redbrick, a metaverse specialist company, will explain the metaverse platform and NFTs as new content consumption platforms. The program will also discuss the connection between the virtual world implied by the term ‘metaverse’ and the phrase ‘a comic-like world.’

A representative from the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency stated, "In an era of AI collaboration and cooperation, institutional regulations and the importance of IP have become even more critical, so we prepared a session to hear expert opinions on this." They added, "Through this program, it will be a great opportunity to look into the power of comics as cultural content in a changing world."

Bucheon International Comics Festival Comics Expert Symposium. Photo by Korea Manhwa Contents Agency