Bicof 2012 Ends in Great Success: The Future of Korean Comics Looks Bright!
(Published August 21, 2012)

The most successful Bucheon International Comics Festival to date draws to a close

Becoming the Mecca of Korean comic/animation industry – The 15^th Bucheon International Comics Festival (Bicof 2012) ended last Sunday after five days. The event was held around the Korea Comics Museum and Media Culture Complex under the theme of “The language of the future spread throughout the world, K-Comics ‘Manhwa’”.

◇ Even in bad weather, visitors continued to attend the festival. ⓒ Park Chang-gyu

The festival, which started on August 15^th, encompassed a variety of events, including: comic-related exhibits, a contents fair, conference, experience event, International Children Comic Artist Awards, and autograph signing events by famous comic artists. In particular, the International Children Comic Artist Awards, which was held as a preliminary event at the 2011 festival, developed into a full-fledged international event. Furthermore, the project exhibit, centered on the Avengers of Marble Comics of the U.S., and the K-Comics exhibit, which centered on the story of Korea’s comics industry, received a great response from visitors. Other events such as a costume contest and various animation screenings were welcomed enthusiastically by visitors.
◇ The Avengers project exhibit drew the attention of numerous visitors. ⓒ Park Chang-gyu

A lauded gain is that the event received great reviews not only from regular event visitors but also from foreign buyers. Ten companies from seven different countries participated in events such as export business support consultation sessions, a contents fair, and conferences, which were targeted for marketing purposes. Dealing with these companies, 28 Korean businesses were able to secure KRW 7.9 billion in export consultations and actual contracts amounting to KRW 370 million. Korea is expanding in the international animation market, currently dominated by the U.S. and Japan. The fact that Bucheon is at the very center of this success is a result of more than just this year’s event.

Since 1998, after planning to establish a ‘comics culture’ city, the city of Bucheon has consistently been at the forefront of the domestic comics/animation industry. With the establishment of the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON), formally known as the Bucheon Comics Information Center, Bucheon has continued to sponsor various business opportunities for the vitalization of the comics/animation industry. Without a doubt, the Bucheon International Comics Festival and the Bucheon International Student Animation Festival in November have become main attractions for the City of Bucheon. This year, the Bucheon International Comics Festival has become more significant due to the fact that it has moved on from being just a local event; it now has a meaningful role in the Korea comics industry. The festival has made a great contribution by bringing the cultural, artistic, and economic value of comics to the attention of the public by presenting exhibitions such as ‘100 years of Korean Comics’ and ‘The Best Five Korean Comics.’
◇ It won’t be too long before Korean comics become another key player in the “Korean Wave.” ⓒ Park Chang-gyu

However, the road for Korean comics is still long and hard. It is true that the domestic market has been growing rapidly, but in the past five years, businesses have been struggling. Furthermore, in comparison with web-based comics (webtoons), printed comics have seen a great decline from 2,472 publications in 2002 (excluding educational comics) to 1, 325 in 2010.

It is paradoxical, but this is the reason why the future path of Bucheon is so important. Our attention is focused on Bucheon, the recognized center of Korea’s comics/animation, and what it can do for the comics industry as it struggles to overcome the stagnant economic period.

ⓒ G-News Plus News  / Gyeonggi Province University Student Press Corps Park Chang-gyu / lubnail-@hanmail.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201208211647199845C056&s_code=C056