'Dokgo Tak' cartoonist dies of heart attack

Late cartoonist Lee Sang-moo / Yonhap

By Yun Suh-young

Korean cartoonist Lee Sang-moo died of a heart attack in his studio, Sunday, while working. He was 70.

Born in 1946 in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Lee debuted in 1966 with the romance comic strip "No Mi-ho and Joo Ri-hae." It was in 1971 that he broke through with the introduction of “Dokgo Tak,” a signature character he continuously used throughout his career. Lee, whose birth name is Park No-cheol, catapulted to fame due to the popularity of the cartoon character.

His character Dokgo Tak was a baseball pitcher who would disguise himself to fool his dad so he could get on the mound to pursue his dream of playing baseball.

The character, with a two-syllable surname and a rebellious personality, was fresh to readers at the time. He soon gained fans and enjoyed popularity throughout Lee’s lifelong career.

Lee had worked as a series cartoonist using Dokgo Tak as the main character in various works. Dokgo Tak, who first appeared in "Freckles" in 1971, continued to appear in other works such as "Friendship Mound," "Choir of Pigeons," "A Boy Who Never Cried," "Nine Red Hats" and "Run, Booby." It was a representative iconic character in the 1970s and 80s.

Lee is survived by his wife and daughter.

Cartoon “My Name is Dokgo Tak” made into SBS animation / Korea Times