Webtoon with planned English release spotlights 6 pioneering women who overcame colonial rule, social barriers in modern Korean history
Image via Northeast Asian History Foundation’s Facebook page
© NAHF
The Northeast Asian History Foundation has announced the launch of a new webtoon series titled The First Women, spotlighting six pioneering women who overcame colonial rule and social barriers in modern Korean history.
The series aims to reinterpret history through the lens of women, modernity, and human rights, making historical narratives more accessible to a broader audience.
Six established creators from Korea’s comics industry are participating in the project: So-hee Kim, Hye-jin Won, Seung-ha Yoo, Ho-chul Choi, Jeong-soon Ko, and Kyung-jin Choi. Each artist will blend historical fact with creative storytelling to depict the lives of these figures.
The webtoon focuses on women who were “firsts” in their respective fields, including Korea’s first female aviator and independence activist Gi-ok Kwon; early feminist figure Hyang-ran Kang, who challenged patriarchy by adopting short hair; labor activist Ju-ryong Kang, who staged Korea’s first high-altitude protest; the country’s first female lawyer Tae-young Lee; pioneering film director Nam-ok Park; and Esther Park, Korea’s first Western-trained female physician.
Serialization began on March 17 with the Gi-ok Kwon arc, with each figure’s story released in four episodes on a weekly schedule.
An English version is also planned for global readers and will be published on the foundation’s official English website after the Korean serialization concludes. The foundation said it also plans to compile the series into a print volume following its run.
Source: News 1 (Jung-han Kim)
