Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
This year's Bucheon comics festival to be more cosplayer-friendly
Shin Jong-chul, center, president of Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON), poses with cosplayers and the agency’s officials during a press conference for the 27th Bucheon International Comics Festival in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
The 27th Bucheon International Comics Festival (BICOF) will be a celebration where cosplayers can freely showcase their character costumes with expanded events and international participation.
"BICOF is now in its 27th year and has grown into a festival representing Korea. Excluding film, there aren't many content-related festivals in the nation, but BICOF seems to have established itself as one of Korea's leading content festivals," Shin Jong-chul, president of the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON), which hosts the festival, said Tuesday.
A poster for this year’s Bucheon International Comics Festival, which will be held at Korea Manhwa Museum and the surrounding area in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 3 to 6. Courtesy of Korea Manhwa Contents Agency
"Through the previous festivals, our event has become a mecca for cosplayers. Many cosplayers recognize BICOF as a festival where they feel the most comfortable. This year, we will add more events for cosplayers to enjoy and also expand the room for illustrators to participate."
BICOF has been an event promoting the Korean "manhwa," or comics, industry and providing festivities for comic enthusiasts since its first run in 1998.
This year's BICOF will be held at the Korea Manhwa Museum and the surrounding area in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 3 to 6.
As the president mentioned, this year will feature more events for cosplayers, including an international cosplay festival with teams from 14 countries participating in the Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival.
The president revealed that this year's festival slogan is "Manhwa! Wide Open," aiming to create broader connections, especially as comics integrate with other forms of technology and art.
"We are living in an era of convergence where AI is opening a new age. We adopted the slogan 'Manhwa! Wide Open' with the purpose of allowing many people to have expansive interactions centered on manhwa," Shin said.
As Korea's manhwa gains increasing popularity in the global market, the festival aims to strengthen international exchanges as well.
"To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy, we held an exhibition about Korea's manhwa in Italy this March. As part of this exchange, Italian comics will be exhibited during the festival in Bucheon," Shin said.
Shin Jong-chul, right, president of Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, speaks about this year’s Bucheon International Comics Festival during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul
Additionally, a manhwa market will connect Korean creators with international buyers, facilitating global market expansion.
"Also, this year, we will reopen the international comics market that was disconnected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this, foreign buyers will connect with Korean creators. We expect actual transactions of Korean comics will be held during the festival," Shin said. "We've been exchanging with countries in Southeast Asia and North America, so many buyers from those countries will come. Buyers from Saudi Arabia and India will also attend."
The festival will also include talks and signing events with creators of award-winning comics, including Seoire and Namon, authors of "Jeongnyeon," which won the Grand Prize of the 2024 Bucheon Comics Awards.
The president expressed his hope that this festival would foster the global expansion of Korean manhwa.
"Many people have expressed concerns about the declining number of original Korean webtoons (online comics) due to the increasing number of manhwa adaptations from popular novels. Also, manhwa production companies are facing financial difficulties. In light of these challenges, we must redouble our efforts to reach global audiences (through this festival)," Shin said.