# Manhwa

Manhwa (Korean: 만화; Hanja: 漫畵; Korean pronunciation:) is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to Korean comics.
Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries. These comics have branched outside of Korea by access to Webtoons and have created an impact that has resulted in some movie, drama and television show adaptations.

## Characteristics

The author or artist of a manhwa is called a manhwaga (만화가; 漫畫家). They take on the task of creating a comic that fits a certain format. Manhwa is read in the same direction as English books, horizontally and from left to right, because Korean is normally written and read horizontally. It can also be written and read vertically from right to left, top to bottom. Webtoons tend to be structured differently in the way they are meant for scrolling where manga is meant to be looked at page by page. Manhwa, unlike their manga counterpart, is often in color when posted on the internet, but in black & white when in a printed format.
Manhwa art differs from manga and manhua as well with its distinct features. The bodies of characters are often realistically proportioned, while the faces remain unrealistic. Manhwas also often have very detailed clothing on their characters as well as intricate backgrounds. Webtoons use vertical scrolling to their advantage to demonstrate movement or the passage of time. Manhwa webtoons are also recognized for having simplified dialogue compared to print.

## Etymology and influence

Linguistically, manhwa, manga (漫画) and manhua (漫画) all mean 'comics' in Korean, Japanese and Chinese respectively. Manga comes from the Japanese word 漫画, (katakana: マンガ; hiragana: まんが) which is composed of two kanji 漫 (man) meaning 'whimsical or impromptu' and 画 (ga) meaning 'pictures'. The same term is the root of the Korean word for comics, 'manhwa', and the Chinese word 'manhua'. The Korean manhwa, the Japanese manga and the Chinese phrase manhua are cognates (transl. "impromptu sketches") and their histories and influences intertwine with each other.
Originally the term manhua in Chinese vocabulary was an 18th-century term used in Chinese literati painting. The term manga (漫画) was used in Japan to mean "comics" in the late 19th century, when it became popular. Since then, manhua (漫画) and manhwa (만화; 漫畫) have also come to mean 'comics' in Chinese and Korean respectively.
Although in a traditional sense, the terms manga/manhua/manhwa had a similar meaning of comical drawing broadly, in English the terms manhwa and manhua generally designate the manga-inspired comic strips. Manhwaga were not culturally isolated, and the influx of manga into the Korean comics market had a strong effect on the art and content of many artists' manhwa.

## History

The term manhwa came into popular use in Korea during the 1920s, when it was applied to cartoons. By the mid 1920s, most newspapers were shut down, and political and social cartoons were abandoned, replaced by humorous illustrations and cartoons geared towards children.
Political cartoon slowly reemerged following the establishment of the Republic of Korea (commonly known as South Korea) in 1948. Popular artist Kim Yong-hwan started Korea's first comic magazine, Manhwa Haengjin, in 1948, but it was quickly shut down because the authorities disapproved of the cover.
During the Korean war, Manhwa was used with the aim of boosting the morale of the public. The popularity of comics rose during the 1950s and 1960s, creating diversity of styles and subject matter which led to the construction of new genres such as sunjeong (or soonjung), stories containing romance that are aimed at young women. Also around this time another more humorous genre, myeongnyang or happy comics had become popular in order to counteract gritty ones. Manhwabang (lit. comics room), comics cafés and stores that allowed readers to pay a set rate to sit and read comics were also introduced to the public, creating a positive atmosphere around the comics. In response to the increasing publication of comics, as well as social and political changes within South Korea, the government began to enforce censorship laws and, by the mid-1960s, created a comics distribution monopoly that further censored manhwa.
Around this time was when Manhwa had come up in North Korea as well. Then in the early 2000s, the majority of Manhwa was transferred to online sources due to economic collapse that South Korea had experienced at the end of the millennium. The online publication of Manhwa significantly increased its popularity outside Korea. This led to the South Korean search portal to launch LINE Webtoon, a platform for distributing online Manhwa.

### Webtoons

The term "Webtoon" (웹툰) is a portmanteau of the Korean words 웹 meaning web and 카툰 meaning cartoon. The term was first coined on 8 August 2000, by Chollian, one of South Korea's oldest and now discontinued internet service engines. Webtoons are the digital form of manhwa that first came into popularity in the early 2000s due to their free access and availability on the internet. It was also beneficial to creators because it helped them get around strict South Korean censorship laws. Webtoons encourage amateur writers to publish their own stories for others to read. Since their creation, webtoons have gained popularity around the globe and have even been adopted outside of Korea as another form of comic publication. This is credited to their unique format and pay model.
In 2014 WEBTOON's global website and mobile app were launched, revolutionizing the comic world's way of reading for entertainment. Also, around this time JunKoo Kim, the person that started LINE Webtoon, had reported that Webtoon was used in 60 countries, had 55 million monthly users, and 100 billion annual views.

## Manhwa outside of Korea

Manhwa has reached all over the world now. With websites such as TopToon, a webtoon company from Korea that also has a global service in TopToonPlus, people are able to access a wide variety of comics from their phones. There are also places like WEBTOON that not only allow people to read original comics, but make them as well, opening up this aspect of Korean culture for everyone to take part in.
But despite that, the relative obscurity of Korean culture in the Western world has caused the word manhwa to remain somewhat unknown in the English-speaking countries. English translations of manhwa have achieved success by targeting the manga and anime community, to the extent that manhwa were marketed as manga by the American publisher Tokyopop.

### United States

Sanho Kim was the first manhwa artist working in the States. During the 1960s and 1970s, he worked for publishers Charlton Comics, Warren Publishing, Iron Horse Publishing, Skywald Publications, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics.
According to journalist Paul Gravett, in 1987 Eastern Comics published the first original manhwas in the United States.
Due to the explosion of manga's popularity in the Americas, many of the licensed titles acquired for the American market seek to emulate the popular elements of other successful series. Recently, long-running webtoons serialized via Internet portal sites (e.g. by Daum Media), like Lezhin Comics and personal homepages have become both the creative and popular destination among the younger generation in Korea. With manga proving to be both popular and commercially successful in Europe and the United States, a number of publishers imported and translated manhwa titles in the hope of reaching the same audience. The readability and left-to-right orientation of manhwa contributed to its growing popularity, as did the realism of the characters and the combination of Eastern and Western styles and mythologies.

## Media franchise

Animations based on Korean comics are still relatively rare (though there were several major hits in the late 1980s and early 90s with titles such as Dooly the Little Dinosaur and Fly! Superboard). However, live-action drama series and movie adaptations of manhwa have occurred more frequently in recent years. Full House in 2004 and Goong ("Palace" or "Princess Hours") in 2006 are prominent examples. Below is a list of manhwa titles adapted into television series, web series, films, etc. Not to be confused to another adapted works of adapted from Webtoons.
| Title | Author | Format | Premiere | Notes |
| Meongteong-guli Heotmulkyeogi (멍텅구리 헛물켜기) | Lee Sang-hyeop and Ahn Jae-hong and Noh Soo-hyun | Film | 1926 | |
| Gobau (고바우) | Kim Seonghwan | Film | 1958 | |
| Walsun Ajimae (왈순 아지매) | Jeong Woon-kyung | Film | 1963 | |
| Geokkuligungwa Jangdaligun (거꾸리군과 장다리군) | Kim Seonghwan | Film | 1977 | |
| Bridal Mask (각시탈) | Huh Young-man | Film | 1978 | |
| Bridal Mask (각시탈) | Huh Young-man | Animated film | 1986 | |
| Bridal Mask (각시탈) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 30 May 2012 | Bridal Mask SPC Pan Entertainment KBS N |
| Space Black Knight (우주 흑기사) | Huh Young-man | Animated film | 1979 | |
| Alien Baseball Team (외인구단) | Lee Hyun-se | Film | 2 August 1986 | |
| The Last Station (퇴역전선) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 14 September 1987 | Broadcast on MBC |
| Dooly the Little Dinosaur (아기공룡 둘리) | Kim Soo-jung | Animation | 7 October 1987 – 1989 | Daewon Media Broadcast on KBS |
| Dooly the Little Dinosaur (아기공룡 둘리) | Kim Soo-jung | OVA | 1995 | Tooniverse |
| Dooly the Little Dinosaur (아기공룡 둘리) | Kim Soo-jung | Animated film | 24 July 1996 | Dooly Nara (Dooly Nation), Seoul Movie |
| Dooly the Little Dinosaur (아기공룡 둘리) | Kim Soo-jung | Animation | 8 January 2009 | Broadcast on SBS, Tooniverse |
| The Chameleon's Poem (카멜레온의 시) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 14 May 1988 | |
| Yeongsimi (열네 살 영심이) Young-sim (영심이) | Bae Geum-taek | Film | 29 July 1990 | |
| Yeongsimi (열네 살 영심이) Young-sim (영심이) | Bae Geum-taek | Animation | 5 October 1990 | Daewon Media Broadcast on KBS |
| Yeongsimi (열네 살 영심이) Young-sim (영심이) | Bae Geum-taek | TV series | 15 May 2023 | The Great Show, MODT Studio Broadcast on ENA |
| Mr. Sohn (미스터손) Fly! Superboard (날아라 슈퍼보드) | Huh Young-man | Animation | 15 August 1990, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2001 | Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd. Broadcast on KBS1 |
| Asphalt Man (아스팔트 사나이) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 17 May 1995 | Broadcast on SBS |
| 48+1 | Huh Young-man | Film | 4 November 1995 | |
| Beat (비트) | Huh Young-man | Film | 3 May 1997 | |
| Mr. Q (미스터 Q) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 20 May 1998 | Broadcast on SBS |
| Nudlnude (누들누드) | Yang Young-soon | OVA | October 1998, 1999 | Seoul Movie |
| We Saw the Bird Lost in the Middle of the Road (우리는 길 잃은 작은 새를 보았다) | Hwang Mi-na | TV series | 19 April 1999 | Broadcast on KBS2 |
| Blade of the Phantom Master (신암행어사) | Youn In-wan and Yang Kyung-il | Animated film | 4 December 2004 | Oriental Light and Magic and Character Plan |
| Full House (풀하우스) | Won Soo-yeon | TV series | 14 July 2004 | Kim Jong-hak Production |
| Hammerboy (망치) | Huh Young-man | Animated film | 6 August 2004 | |
| Goong ("Palace" or "Princess Hours") (궁) | Park So-hee | TV series | 11 January 2006 | Eight Peaks |
| Tajja (타짜) | Kim Se-yeong and Huh Young-man | Film | 28 September 2006 | Sidus FNH |
| Tajja (타짜) | Kim Se-yeong and Huh Young-man | TV series | 16 September 2008 | Olive9 and Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts |
| War of Money (쩐의 전쟁) | Park In-kwon | TV series | 16 May 2007 | Victory Production Broadcast on SBS |
| War of Money (쩐의 전쟁) | Park In-kwon | TV series | 7 March 2008 | Broadcast on tvN |
| War of Money (쩐의 전쟁) | Park In-kwon | TV series | 6 January 2015 | Kansai Television Co. Ltd. |
| Sikgaek Le Grand Chef Gourmet (식객) | Huh Young-man | Film | 1 November 2007 | ShowEast Co Ltd |
| Sikgaek Le Grand Chef Gourmet (식객) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 17 June 2008 | Broadcast on SBS |
| Sikgaek Le Grand Chef Gourmet (식객) | Huh Young-man | Film | 28 January 2010 | IROOM Pictures |
| Saranghae (사랑해) | Huh Young-man | TV series | 7 April 2008 | Broadcast on SBS |
| Priest (프리스트) | Hyung Min-woo | Film | 13 May 2011 | Screen Gems |
| The 7th Team (제7구단) Mr. Go (미스터 고) | Huh Young-man | Film | 17 July 2013 (South Korea) 18 July 2013 (China) | Showbox/Mediaplex (South Korea) Huayi Brothers (China) |
| Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? (허영만의 커피 한잔 할까요?) | Huh Young-man | Web series | 24 October 2021 | Broadcast on KakaoTV |
| Acacia (아카시아) | Kim Dong-hwa, Han Seung-won | Webtoon | 12 May 2023 | |

## Korean manhwa publishers

Note: select publishers only
* Daewon C.I.
* Haksan Culture Company
* Seoul Cultural Publishers
* Shinwon Agency Corporation

## North American manhwa imprints

* ADV Manga
* Dark Horse Manhwa
* DramaQueen
* DrMaster Publications
* Manta
* Media Blasters
* Netcomics
* NBM ComicsLit
* Seven Seas Entertainment
* SuperAni
* UDON's Korean Manhwa
* Yen Press's IZE PRESS

## Subgenres

Manhwa has a wide range of sub genres, including pornhwa.