By Victoria Chin
A Society Through Small Frames, The New York Korea Society's exhibition on Korean comics, offered a creative way to learn about contemporary Korean history.
Comics have taken on a very prominent role in South Korea. They not only serve as light-hearted entertainment for children, but also provide adults with a satirical and often scathing perspective of Korea's social institutions. The Korea Society in New York hosted an exhibition about Korean comics from the latter 20th century, appropriately entitled “A Society Through Small Frames”. The collection of comics provides a decade-by-decade glimpse at the evolving lifestyle, troubles, and public enemies in contemporary Korea.
The exhibition commences with comics by Kim Yong Hwan, an early pioneer of the genre with pieces dated from the 1940s and ‘50s. Kim's comics about the Three Kingdoms Period gave many children their first taste of Korean history; the soft facial features and roundness of the illustrations tricked youngsters into learning. Kim was also responsible for creating K'ojubu, the first widely recognized character from Korean comics.
The aggressive social commentaries in comics from the 1960s and ‘70s offered a sharp contrast to those that came before them; for this, some of the artists were punished. North Korea native Kim Seong Hwan targeted the intense pressure for academic success, government use of tear gas on college campuses during protests, and the 1970s crackdown on Korean civil society and pop culture in his comics. Kil Chang Deok's housewife character Sunakjil Yosa, or Madam Vicious, was a subtle attack on Korea's male-dominated society. Park Ki Jeong, whose disparagement of the government garnered him much attention throughout the 1960s, wisely stated, “Metaphor and satire are the essence of news criticism.”
As anti-North Korean sentiment grew during the 1970s, comics became a new instrument of the government to promote South Korean patriotism. Many storylines of the time mocked North Korea or included anti-Communist premises. Urban life and the political spectrum underwent vast changes at the time as well. Satirical comics only increased in number during the 1980s, with continued assaults on the strict education system and shifting political landscape. Lee Hyun Se's series A Daunting Team was able to condemn the affairs of the weakening military dictatorship while masquerading itself as a sports drama. Heo Yeong Man's comics were notable for his use of a variety of settings and backgrounds, as well as his acknowledgement of contrast in Korean society. (enormous economic development in conjunction with political stagnation.)
Comics from the 1990s differed from their predecessors in their directness. Since the fall of the military dictatorship in 1987, artists could voice their opinions more candidly than before. Kim Hyeong Bae's series Hwangsaek T'anhwan, or Yellow Bullet, shed light on a little known fact about America's involvement in Korean politics. According to the comic, the South Korean government sent soldiers to assist the United States in Vietnam, and in turn received support for the dictatorial regime. Oh Se Young's comic The Picture Diary of Puja focused on a girl from a very poor family, whose name ironically means ‘rich'. The alarmingly realistic story of Puja called attention to the often forgotten urban underclass. Also notable is Hankyoreh Sinmun by Park Jae Dong, whose comics appeared in a low-budget leftist newspaper that did not fall prey to conservative corporate influence.
“Korean Comics: A Society Through Small Frames” was essentially a history lesson with a creative delivery method. The exhibition is located in the front hall and first room at the Korea Society, both of which have barren white walls. Each comic and its description appeared in adjacent frames, though they probably would have been better off if presented in a book. The comics were categorized by decade, but other than that, the pieces and their descriptions lacked any unifying elements. The exhibition is worthwhile for those who are especially interested in this genre; as for the general public, they'd probably be better off sifting through actual comic books.
"Korean Comics: A Society Through Small Frames"
September 7, 2005 - October 28, 2005
Korea Society
950 Third Avenue - 8th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Published: Thursday, October 6, 2005
