Mayor Noh Gwangyu:
"Making Suncheon a Global Hub for Webtoons"
Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) announced on the 13th that it will host the 'Korea-France Global Webtoon Academy' for two months until May 16.
This academy plans to select a total of four participants?three aspiring artists and one webtoon PD (three from France and one from Gabon)?who achieved excellent results at last year's 'France Angouleme Webtoon Academy,' and provide them with intensive training.
No Kwan-gyu, mayor of Suncheon, along with representatives from Kenaz and Ono webtoon companies, and webtoon artists from France and Gabon, are taking a commemorative photo in front of the Suncheon Global Webtoon Center. Photo by Suncheon City
Kenaz (CEO Lee Woojae), a webtoon anchor company that established its base in Suncheon last December, is responsible for providing specialized webtoon education and helping participants debut as artists. The program is supported by the Embassy of France in Korea, the French Institute, and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The reason this training is being held in Suncheon is a follow-up to an agreement signed last June between Suncheon City, Korean webtoon company Kenaz, and French content company Ono Korea, to foster global webtoon talent.
Lee Woojae, CEO of Kenaz, stated, "If Angouleme is the center of the comic world, then Korea is the birthplace of webtoons. It is remarkable that people from a cultural powerhouse like France have come to Korea to learn about webtoons. Not only France, but also countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Turkey, Indonesia, and Vietnam are showing a growing interest in Korean webtoons. Our goal is to bring these people together and establish a global webtoon campus."
Ono Ainara Ifas, CEO of Ono Korea, said, "Continuing the dynamism of the France Angouleme Webtoon Academy here in Suncheon is something that can shine internationally. I would like to thank Suncheon City and Kenaz for opening this academy to discover new French-speaking creators."
Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu stated, "With this academy as a starting point, we plan to invite creators from around the world who want to learn about webtoons to Suncheon and make the city a global hub for webtoons."
A representative from the French Embassy commented, "This intensive training program in Suncheon will be a perfect example of combining the expertise of both countries, and we look forward to the works that will be produced during this process."
Meanwhile, following the Garden Expo, Suncheon City has made the cultural industry a core economic pillar, accelerating efforts to attract webtoon and animation companies. The city also plans to implement various projects (academies, content production, business markets, etc.) to support the growth of companies based in Suncheon.
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