한국국제교류재단

"I've been making friends and introducing Korea to 'Countries Near and Far,' which means that the Korea Foundation and I have basically been involved in the same work."

Interview of the professor and cartoonist Rhie Won-bok, the Korea Foundation’s ambassador for culture sharing.

Q. Your best-known work “Countries Near and Far” made it easy and fun to learn the history and information of various countries, and readers say that your comic books helped lay a foundation for the globalization era. How did you get the idea for this series?

“When I was studying in Germany in 1975, I was really amazed by the historical consciousness of Germans, who took great care of even the smallest brick if it had some kind of connection with history. When I visited Korea for a short time in 1981, I went out for drinks at a pojangmacha [outdoor drinking tent] with Kim Su-nam, who was working for the Children’s Hangook Ilbo. When I mentioned that I wanted to make a comic series about the history and culture of European countries, Kim told me they would print it right away and even came up with the title of the series.”

Thus, Korea’s first educational comic series was born in a drinking tent. Rhie wrote his comics with the information that he had gained from various walking tours of Europe, as and through his conversations with the foreign students from 35 countries living at his university dormitory.

Fifteen books since, of particular interest is the popularity of Korea, Unmasked, a book in English that was published in 2002. This publication, which presents Korean history and culture in an entertaining way, became a must-read for foreigners interested in learning about Korea.

Q. What would you say are the memorable experiences about your time as Foundation ambassador for culture sharing?

“Well, there was the time that I took part in the Korea-Germany Forum, to commemorate 140 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which took place in Goslar, Germany, in June. Another notable event was the comic character that I d for the Korea Foundation.”

Q. You have been active in a variety of areas thus far. How would you describe yourself in a few words?

“I’m a comic artist. I’ve been one ever since I had a part-time job drawing comics when I was a freshman in high school. I have pride as a comic artist. However, I am willing to take part in anything as long as I can agree with it and am capable of doing it."

Another noteworthy story is related to the motivation behind Rhie’s decision to organize a joint illustration exhibition for students of Korea, Germany, and Bulgaria. He sponsored this event with his own funds for seven years through 2011, in order to show young people how the world of art can transcend national boundaries.

“Illustrators can no longer survive if they only target domestic readers,” Rhie explained. “They can only be competitive by understanding the graphic preferences of people around the world. I was sorry when I had to shut down the competition because of funding and staffing issues after my retirement.”

Perhaps that is the reason why Rhie recently decided to donate 100 million won to Duksung Women’s University to a scholarship to support the development of talented individuals in today’s globalized environment. Rhie still has boundless ambition. He gives a lecture once a week, and when he doesn’t have any other plans he goes to his studio near Seolleung Station and draws some work by hand.

“Since “Countries Near and Far” is divided into countries, I couldn’t expect to cover the entire globe. That’s why I am working on “Crisscross World History,” which introduces the history and culture of world regions, such as the Middle East and the Balkan Peninsula.”

Q. You’ve been giving lecture presentations for 30 years now. Is there any message that you would like to convey to today’s students?

“Young people today are sharp-witted, talented, and daring. But they find themselves in a rough situation, don’t they? Relative poverty is getting more severe, and there is a glass ceiling...As a part of the establishment, this makes me feel bad. Even so, I want to encourage them that if they keep working hard and looking for the niche that is right for them, they can make it to the top. Just look at me. If I hadn’t done comics, what kind of person would I have become?”

Looking at Lee’s beaming and energetic face, I found myself even more excited about the comic books that he will draw in the future to educate Koreans about the world.

- Kim Sung-Hee (Adjunct Professor of Communication & Media Studies, Sookmyung Women’s University)