‘You don’t have to starve’: Korean webtoonist shares life as artist
Among the many Korean dramas today, “The Red Sleeve” is among those that got adapted from a Korean webtoon of the same name.
Never in her wildest dreams, said “The Red Sleeve” artist Cho Hye-seung, did she think that her webtoon would be very big and successful – especially since she went through poverty and hunger just to finish it.
“It is my very first webtoon series that I have worked for. And to be honest, I actually had a hard time having my basic needs when I was working in an animation company, when I was in 20s, you know, that was my hardest era that I actually went through,” she confessed in a speech at the recent opening of “K-Comics World Tour” in The M (Metropolitan Museum) in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
Adapted into a K-drama in 2021, “The Red Sleeve” received praise for its portrayal of traditional Korean beauty. Based on a historical background about Jeongjo, the 22nd king of the Joseon dynasty, and his concubine, Uibin Seong Deok-min, the story focuses on the sad love story between a king of a country and a palace maid who wanted to live the life of her choice.