Cartoonist Jeong Hun dies at 50

Cartoonist Jeong Hun, who had his cartoons carried by the Cine21 magazine for 25 years, died of leukemia, Saturday. Yonhap

By Kim Rahn

Cartoonist Jeong Hun, who had his cartoons carried in the movie magazine Cine21 every week for 25 years, died on Saturday. He was 50.

He was diagnosed with acute leukemia at the end of 2021, according to his bereaved family.

Jeong, who initially dreamed of becoming a soldier, began his career as a cartoonist after winning a rookie cartoonist contest in 1995 and getting an offer from a reporter of the magazine to draw cartoons parodying films.

A poster parodying the 2002 film Chihwaseon by cartoonist Jeong Hun / Captured from Cine21 website

From 1996 to 2020, Jeong's two-page cartoon on Cine21, titled “Jeong Huni Cartoon,” which was carried on almost the last page, was a must-see section of the weekly magazine, as readers enjoyed his parodies of movies which often contained satire directed toward then-governments and social issues.

After 10 years of working for Cine21, he quit the serial and other cartoonists took over the section, but he came back soon following reader demand. After that, he continued working until the December 2020 edition.

From October 2021 to April this year, an exhibition recognizing his 25 years of work was held at the Korean Film Museum.

After Jeong's death, his fans posted messages of condolences on social media and the website of Cine21.

“Because of your cartoons, I enjoyed reading Cine21 through to the last pages. I thank you. I'm going to miss you and your cartoons a lot,” one reader wrote on Cine21's website.

“During my college days, when I brought Cine21 to the lecture room, my classmates used to borrow it from me to read 'Jeong Huni Cartoon.' May you rest in peace,” another wrote.

Jeong is survived by his wife.