Exhibit shows Ko's life, comics
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A desk and a lamp used by the late cartoonist Ko Woo-young are on display at the Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of Korea Manhwa Museu
The late cartoonist Ko Woo-young Courtesy of Korea Manhwa Museum
By Baek Byung-yeul
The late cartoonist Ko Woo-young (1938-2005) has been recognized as a game changer in the Korean comic book scene for using traditional Korean fables and ancient Chinese history.
There had been pictorial books dealing with those tales before Ko, but his manhwa works greatly helped many comic strip fans to develop their imagination.
To commemorate his legacy in the country’s manhwa industry, the state-run Korea Manhwa Museum is holding a retrospective exhibition through August.
Titled “Father, Friend and Artist Ko Woo-young,” the exhibition not only encompasses his smash hits but also shows his personal life as a father of three children. The manhwa museum said they put father and friend in the title to show that he would remain a pioneering cartoonist to his fans.
Entering to the museum, located in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, visitors can easily recognize the exhibition at once as it is installed right next to the entrance.
His fans might be disappointed because the scale of the exhibition is smaller than they may expect. However, visitors can understand what Ko had done during his lifetime more than any other previous exhibitions as it is chronologically well organized.
Born in Manchuria, now northeastern China in 1938, Ko began drawing cartoons when he was a middle school student.
In 1972, Ko began publishing “Im Kkeok-jeong,” the Korean equivalent of Robin Hood for a local sports daily. It soon became a phenomenon as there had only been cartoons describing social affairs before Ko launched his comic strips in the newspaper.
With its catchy characters and plots, “Im Kkeok-jeong” paved the way for Ko to emerge as one of the most popular cartoonists here.
Featuring original paintings from his hits such as “Iljimae,” “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” “The Water Margin,” and “Garujigi,” the exhibition also displays the desk he used as well as photos of Ko.
The museum previously displayed his art including original copies of his work and some of his belongings for three years from April of 2012 to March of this year in the permanent exhibition hall. The museum said the exhibition space will now be used for displaying works of all cartoonists, who were active in 1970s, including Ko.
The exhibition runs through Aug. 9. The museum is located near exit 5 of Samsan Gymnasium Station, subway line no. 7. Admission is free. For more information, call (032) 310-3042 or visit www.komacon.kr/comicsmuseum/.