Gogyeongil, Park Inha, and 3 Others Receive 'Manhwa Day' Merit Awards

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The recipients of the ‘22nd Comics Day (November 3) Merit Award’ have been selected as Go Kyung-il, Park In-ha, Son Ki-hwan, Choi Ho-cheol, and Han Chang-wan.

The Merit Award, presented by the Korea Cartoonists Association, is given to those who have dedicated many years to the comic industry and creation. Go Kyung-il has been crossing the boundaries between pop artist and educator, actively nurturing junior artists, while Park In-ha is a unique figure in comic criticism, engaging in diverse and new activities across the comic field.

Son Ki-hwan is known as the ‘Doctor of Comics’ for founding the first specialized comic criticism magazine, and Choi Ho-cheol is famous as a professor who is both a cartoonist and painter, delivering renowned lectures. Lastly, Han Chang-wan is recognized as the first professor to systematically establish Korean comic theory and has close ties with young critics currently active.

The Korea Cartoonists Association stated, “These five comic educators are unsung heroes who contributed to the growth of webtoon artists leading the global webtoon era worth over one trillion won,” adding, “They are opinion leaders who not only focus on talent development but also continuously dedicate themselves to research related to comics and webtoons, drawing attention from the industry.”

The Merit Award ceremony is scheduled to take place at the ‘Comics Day Commemoration Ceremony’ on the 3rd at the Daejeon eSports Stadium. All awardees will receive certificates, plaques, and commemorative badges produced by the Korea Cartoonists Association.