Private Sector-Led Establishment by Webtoon Association and Others
Annual Commemoration and Awards Ceremony Held on March 11
The anniversary of the late Lee Woo-young, the artist who drew the comic 'Gomjeong Gomu-shin,' will be commemorated as a day to reflect on the importance of copyright, led by comic and webtoon organizations.
On the afternoon of August 18 last year, at the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Gallery in Nowon-gu, Seoul, a special memorial exhibition for artist Lee Woo-young titled 'Lee Woo-young 1972 - 2023: Every Day, My Work Black Rubber Shoes' was held. The photo is of the late artist Lee Woo-young. Photo by Yonhap News.
The Webtoon Association, Korea Cartoon Story Association, Korea Comic Webtoon Society, Korea Webtoon Industry Association, and Korea Cartoon Association announced that March 11th will be declared as 'Comic and Webtoon Copyright Day' every year in accordance with the first anniversary of Lee Woo-young's passing.
Last year on March 11th, Lee Woo-young passed away after expressing mental distress amid an ongoing copyright dispute over 'Gomjeong Gomu-shin' with the character company Hyeongseol & Co.
His death sparked social discussions surrounding the protection of creators' rights and issues of unfair contract practices, which over the past year have led to enhanced protection of comic and webtoon creators' rights, policy improvements, and strengthened support systems.
Recently, the standard contracts for comics and webtoons have been drafted and revised. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism newly prepared two types of contracts related to secondary derivative works and stipulated that when contracting with a second party, the original creator must be notified in advance.
The associations explained that they established 'Comic and Webtoon Copyright Day' through private initiatives to honor the artist who raised awareness of the value of copyright and to elevate the recognition of comic and webtoon copyrights.
Starting next year, they plan to hold annual commemorative ceremonies and award events related to copyright.
The Lee Woo-young Artist Incident Countermeasure Committee plans to hold a memorial exhibition between May and June to honor the late artist and highlight his artistic world.
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