Author of web comics ‘Awl’ named winner of Bucheon Comics Awards

Comic artist Choi Kyu-sok has won the grand prize at the 2018 Bucheon Comics Awards by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency for his webtoon, or Korean-style online comics, entitled “Awl.”

The webtoon, which was published on the leading Internet portal Naver.com from 2013 to 3017, portrays struggles by employees at a large discount store who create a labor union to fight against their employer’s unfair dismissals. Representatives of the Bucheon Comics Awards lauded the webtoon for treating a “social theme that could be heavy with a solid storyline and through research.”

The Popularity Award went to “Middle School Girl A” by the web cartoonist with the penname “Heo 5 Pa 6,” who delicately depicted the sentiment of a teenage girl Mirae. The webtoon was also turned into a movie starring Suho, a member of the popular boy band EXO.

Sim Heung-ah’s “I Am Toto” won the Children’s Comics Award, while Japanese manga artist Fumiko Takano won the "Overseas Comics Award for Yellow Book.”

The award ceremony will be held at the opening ceremony for the Bucheon International Comics Festival on next Wednesday. Award-winning authors will also hold book signing events during the festival.


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