Top comic artist touches off dispute on proper reward

Leading Korean comic artist Huh Young-man put a price tag on his work, which he said was rejected by both established newspapers and online portals.

With nowhere to go to publish his work in a commercially viable way, he opted to sell his comic series directly to readers via a newly launched mobile platform amid a flurry of conflicting reactions about his move on social networks.

Huh, 66, is widely deemed the godfather of comics here as he has produced more than 100 comic book series including hits such as “Sik Gaek” and “Tazza,” both of which were published in local dailies and later made into movies.

Since his debut in 1974, he has been leading the local comic book industry with his megahit works known for sophisticated storytelling and realistic depiction of characters. In an interview with local newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the veteran artist confessed that he had struggled to find a publishing firm or an online portal willing to pay him enough to continue his next project.

Huh said he had requested 35 million won ($31,280) per month from portal sites and publishing firms in return for serializing his comic series but none of them accepted his proposal.

“For the sake of the future of Korean comics, I am taking the initiative to try the mobile content market,” he said in the interview with Chosun Ilbo.

Huh said that he started to publish his comic “Sik Gaek 2” on local mobile content marketplace Kakao Page from April 9. To view the comic, readers need to pay 2,000 won monthly.

The artist said his decision was inevitable due to the prevalence of “free” comics led by Web portals. Under the current webtoon system, he cannot foot the bill for running his studio, which employs seven staff members including a photographer.

The rise of webtoons in Korea has virtually wiped out the print comics market, cutting off the key income source for many comic artists and publishers.

Naver, which started its webtoon service in 2005, is posting more than 120 free online comics every week. Daum, which launched its webtoon section in 2003, serializes more than 70 weekly webtoons. The companies together attract more than 150 million page views per month with an average of 3,000 reader comments per episode.

Huh’s proposed monthly payment, meanwhile, prompted some observers to post negative comments on Twitter and Facebook.

“Huh Young-man, saying that you need 35 million won and seven people to work is too much. And you dare say comic is a blue ocean and talk about value-added creative services. Please be honest,” said a reporter from a local media source on Twitter.

But other Twitter users attacked the reporter, claiming that Huh’s proposed price is legitimate.

“Huh is famous for his thorough research and collection of data. The high quality of his work comes out of them. He deserves more but the media won’t pay for that. Shame on the reporter who doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” one Twitter user said. 


By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)