"Korean Animation Days" Hosted Animation Enthusiasts

KAG: Korean Animation Days, held for the first time this year in partnership between the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul and the Bahçeşehir University Department of Cartoon and Animation, brought important figures and works of Korean animation together with Turkish audiences and the animation industry.

South Korea, which places great importance on animation production, education and technology development and has major international animation festivals such as SICAF, an animation center and an animation museum, has long been an important part of the global animation and game industry. The country has made a name for itself in the world with countless character designs integrated into everyday public life, such as Tayo the Little Bus and Larva; webtoons, a very popular form of storytelling in the virtual world; feature-length animations such as Wonderful Wings, which, according to 2015 data, was also imported with a volume of nearly 600 million dollars; and animated series and games such as Pororo the Little Penguin, Pucca, Katuri and Kakao Friends.

"AS TÜRKİYE, WE ARE FOLLOWING KOREAN ANIMATION"

KAG: Korean Animation Days Türkiye, held for the first time this year in partnership between the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul and the Bahçeşehir University Department of Cartoon and Animation, brought important figures and works of Korean animation together with both audiences and the Turkish animation industry in Türkiye. FunnyFlux creative director Jung Jin Hong and EBS-Korea Educational Broadcasting System Head of Animation Han Kil Nam also attended the event. In addition, Kim Keukeleire, animation director of the films Isle of Dogs and My Life as a Zucchini, was among KAG's guests.

Pointing out that Korean animation has had a loyal audience for many years, Bahçeşehir University (BAU) Faculty of Communication Head of the Department of Cartoon and Animation Prof. Dr. Nazlı Eda Noyan said: "Korea has developed a great deal in the field of games. As a university, we are following it too. For 3 years we had been inviting Korean animators to our country through summer schools. We received an offer from the Consulate General in Istanbul to organize animation days. A collaboration between the animation industry in Türkiye and the Korean animation industry was very valuable to us. We accepted immediately and organized an event together."

"ANIMATION AWAITS SUPPORT FROM THE STATE AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR"

Stating that Korean animation is at a very advanced point, especially in children's series, Prof. Dr. Nazlı Eda Noyan said:

"Korean character designs are very good. It is also a very productive country that produces a lot of work in game design. Therefore, it has a certain fan base in Türkiye as well. In recent years, universities in Türkiye have started to open departments in animation, and there is a lack of human resources and funding. We want these departments to receive more financial support. In Türkiye this is what we call an infant industry. The cultural and economic value of animation is only just beginning to be understood. There are also state institutions that value and support this. Therefore, I am hopeful about this industry. Events and festivals like this also nurture this hope. In addition to the state, private sector support is also very important for this industry. If we realize its importance, nothing can stand in Türkiye's way in terms of production.