A Korean webtoon highlights the importance of copyright in daily life
Date Apr 19, 2021
‐ MCST‐WIPO publish ‘Let’s Draw a Dream’
(written and illustrated by Youngwook Lee) ‐
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST, Minister Hwang Hee) of the Republic of Korea and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, Director General Daren Tang) have jointly created a webtoon (webcomic) entitled “Let’s Draw a Dream” (written and illustrated by Youngwook Lee) to enhance respect for copyright and published it online.
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<About WIPO> The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 193 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society’s evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity‐building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information. |
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The MCST has been promoting international cooperation with WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, in three areas: copyright development, building respect for intellectual property (IP), and promotion of alternative dispute resolution services, particularly through the Korea Funds‐in‐Trust established at WIPO. The MCST is also actively carrying out projects* to encourage respect for intellectual property with WIPO’s Building Respect for IP Division.
* Production of Pororo cartoon videos to raise awareness of copyright from 2019 to 2020 (available on YouTube channels of WIPO, MCST’s Copyright Bureau, and ICONIX), etc.
A cartoon (Manhwa) to increase respect for copyright produced in 3 languages (Korean, English, Spanish)
As part of the collaborative projects under the framework of the Korea Funds‐in‐Trust, the MCST and WIPO launched a webtoon production project to increase respect for copyright, and attorney Youngwook Lee, who is also a cartoonist, participated in the project. The webtoon (“Let’s Draw a Dream”) produced through the project tells the story about copyright through the adventures of the siblings Nagool and Naring to help readers of various age groups, including primary and secondary school students, understand copyright easily and in a fun way.
The webtoon was produced in Korean, English, and Spanish in consideration of users from various countries and regions. It is available on several communication channels such as the MCST’s official NAVER blog, the WIPO website, the official NAVER blogs of the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC) and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency (KCOPA), and the EBS TOON and Modoo Toon websites.
<Links to the Manhwa ‘Let’s Draw a Dream’>
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Institutions |
Links to the Manhwa |
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MCST |
(Korean‐1) https://blog.naver.com/mcstkorea/222285716654 (Korean‐2) https://blog.naver.com/mcstkorea/222285870656 |
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WIPO |
(English) https://www.wipo.int/enforcement/en/news/2021/news_0001.html (Spanish) https://www.wipo.int/enforcement/es/news/2021/news_0001.html |
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KCC |
(Korean) https://blog.naver.com/kcc_press/222285957007 (English) https://blog.naver.com/kcc_press/222285960338 (Spanish) https://blog.naver.com/kcc_press/222285961278 |
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KCOPA |
(Korean) https://blog.naver.com/kcopastory/222286038255 |
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EBS Toon |
(Korean, English, Spanish) https://www.ebstoon.com/Toon/Cartoon/detail/336 |
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Modoo Toon |
(Korean, English, Spanish) |
WIPO announced the publication of the webtoon through its newsletter* (WIPO Wire, published on April 8, 2021) and will continue to promote the use of this webtoon, where applicable, by introducing it to relevant IP institutions of WIPO member states.
* https://mailchi.mp/wipo/wipo‐wire‐tech‐trends‐reports‐finds‐big‐growth‐in‐assistive‐technologies‐ip‐day‐toolkit
Hoping that children around the world know the value of copyright
Attorney Youngwook Lee said, “I was grateful for the opportunity to work on this meaningful project with the MCST and WIPO. As a citizen of Korea, which is the origin of webtoons, I was very proud to participate in the ‘webtoon production project.’ I would be more than happy if this Manhwa could help children around the world know the value of copyright and make them smile.”
An official in charge of the MCST’s policy said, “We are delighted to collaborate with WIPO and a Korean expert to produce a cartoon (Manhwa) to improve awareness of copyright. We hope that readers will understand the importance of copyright and the need to eradicate copyright infringement and further develop an interest in copyright in everyday life.”
Attachment
1. Overview of ‘Let’s Draw a Dream,’ a webtoon to raise awareness of copyright
2. WIPO publishes the webtoon ‘Let’s Draw a Dream’
3. EBS TOON publishes the webtoon ‘Let’s Draw a Dream’