Huh Young-man


Huh Young-man is a South Korean manhwa artist.

Early life

Huh Young-man was born Heo Hyeong-man in present-day Yeosu, a far southern coastal city of what is now South Jeolla Province, South Korea in 1947. He was the third child of eight children born to father Heo Jong and mother Park Ok-jeong. Before and after the liberation of Korea from Japan in 1945, Huh's father had worked as a local policeman. When the Yeosu Rebellion occurred in 1948, Huh's family was in danger of being killed by the rebels. In contrast to Huh's father, his uncle was a communist, so that Huh's family was ironically protected by both sides. However, Huh was later told that he and his mother could've been killed during an incident in which some communists captured his father. This political conflict strongly influenced Huh's works such as Oh, Han River and Tajja.
After the Korean War was over, Huh's father worked for a while as an administrative officer at the Yeosu Office of Education, then later started his own business. Huh's mother ran a kitchenware store which became successful since Yeosu served as a trading base between neighboring islands.
Huh had wanted to study Western painting at university but because his father's anchovy fishery business was declining, he gave up his dream. Instead, Huh entered the manhwa world as an apprentice to a cartoonist.

Career

In 1974, Huh debuted with In Search for Home through a competition seeking new cartoonists hosted by the Sonyeon Hankook Ilbo. His next comic, action-adventure Gaksital was a big success, and Huh became famous. Since then, Huh's works have been recognized for their literary value and have gained wide popularity among the public. Several have been serialized in local dailies, including Sikgaek for The Dong-a Ilbo, and Tajja and Saranghae for Sports Chosun. His comics have also been adapted into films and television series.

Works

Note: the whole section is referenced.

Live action

Film

Film