Cartoonist named president of Duksung Women's University
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Rhie Won-bok
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Cartoonist Rhie Won-bok, 68, the author of “Distant Countries, Nearby Countries,” has been named president of Duksung Women’s University, the school said Thursday.
Rhie will serve a four-year term from March 1.
Born in Daejeon, Rhie majored in architecture at Seoul National University, after which he studied graphic design at Munster University in Germany for his master’s degree.
Rhie then became a professor of graphic design at Duksung Women’s University in 1984 and was promoted to a chair professor in 2012.
He received the Noonsol Award in 1993 for his contribution to the development of the South Korean cartoon industry.
He was also appointed a goodwill ambassador of the National Human Rights Commission.
Rhie found fame after publication of his history cartoon, “Distant Countries, Nearby Countries” which created a huge sensation among young students in 1990s. In the cartoon, he introduced the history of countries including Germany, Japan, and the United States, in a simple, funny and didactic manner.
But his cartoon has often invited criticism from some Western historians.
Professor Jou Kyung-chul of Seoul National University warned that the cartoon could inculcate some distorted historical views to young students because its content emphasizes Eurocentrism with some racist features, for instance, illustrating Islam as a primitive and violent religion.