Korean Cartoons to Compete Against Japanese "Manga" in Switzerland

This fall, Korean animation and Japanese "Manga" will compete against each other for a marketing pitch in Switzerland. A variety of Korean cartoons will be released to the public in the nation, according to the October 17th issue of the Tribune de Genève, a Swiss magazine published in French.

One of the Korean works to be released by the Swiss publishing house Paques is "Fever" by Park Hee-jeong, a popular cartoonist and writer in Korea. Korean cartoon, known as "Manhwa" in the ROK, has not had a huge success in the Swiss animation market, compared to Japanese "Manga". However, Korean "Manhwa" has recently been experiencing a steady growth in terms of recognition and will likely get good recognition in Switzerland this year. The Korean animation industry is expected to have an opportunity to gain a foothold of the Swiss market.

The Swiss publishing house will also release animations such as "Mafia School", "Tae-geuk", and other works in various animation genres such as romance, science fiction, and sports. According to Tribune de Genève, Pierre Paques, from the Swiss publishing house, had his first encounter with Korean animation at the Frankfurt Book Festival last year. He found out the hidden potential of the Korean cartoons that could be successful in Switzerland with careful marketing strategies. As soon as he signed a contract, Paques introduced one of the 10 different cartoon series in May.

Last August, Pierre Paques attended the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF). Once again, a contract was negotiated and signed immediately.

Encouraged by his visit to the SICAF, Paques is currently considering greater opportunities for cooperation between Korean animation artists and European scenario writers.

By Bae Jin-sun

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