Cartoonist Lee Hae-kyung wins grand prize at the Korea Disability Culture and Arts Awards

\ \ [Financial News] Webtoon artist Lee Hae-kyung received a Presidential Commendation for expanding the foundation for people with disabilities to create comics and webtoons and for contributing to the development of Korean comics.
According to the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency on the 6th, the artist received the Presidential Commendation, the grand prize, at the 21st Korea Disability Culture and Arts Awards ceremony held the previous day at G Tower Convention in Guro-gu, Seoul.
The Korea Disability Culture and Arts Awards is an event that recognizes and honors artists with disabilities who have contributed to the development of culture and the arts through their creative work.
The artist served as chair of the agency from 2019 to 2021, working to broaden the reach of the comics and webtoon industries and promote diversity. The artist was recognized for expanding opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in creative work and laying the groundwork for their growth by operating the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Webtoon Academy for People with Disabilities” during that tenure.
In 1974, the artist published “Hyeon-a’s Outing” in the magazine Sae Sonyeon. In 2005, the artist received the Today’s Our Comics Award for “My Armpit Itches,” which depicts the everyday lives of people with disabilities.
The artist has continued creating works such as the webtoon “Mother [Han Do-sin],” part of a project featuring 100 independence activists, and “Nine Pieces of Soap,” selected for diversity-comics production support. The artist also took part in a special exhibition of Korean comics marking the 120th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Belgium, and this year’s history exhibition on Korean artists with disabilities, “Those Who Became a Path.”
The artist said, “I hope younger artists with disabilities will be judged proudly for their ‘art’ alone, beyond the distinction of ‘disability,’” and added, “I will keep my pen in hand and devote myself to my work until the very last moment of my life.”

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