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What's the going rate for original cartoons by popular cartoonists?

Any cartoon fan would want to have original drawings by his or her favorite cartoonists. However, Korea has no official market for trading original cartoons, and there is no standard regarding their prices.

However, prices of original cartoons can be estimated through the charity auction of original cartoons which was held during the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF) earlier this month.

The auction, organized by Daiwon Culture Industry (Daiwon CI) Inc., the nation's largest cartoon publisher, took place on the Internet from May 31 to June 3. Twenty-one popular cartoonists such as Yang Jae-hyeon, Im Jae-won, Na Ye-ri, and Kim Yeon-ju submitted original works used for covers of comic books. Eighteen out of 23 works were digital works using computer graphics techniques, while five were drawn by hand. In connection with the digital works, the rule was that the cartoonists could only release with their signature intact one digital cartoon print per image, to ensure the works' value as "originals."

Bidding started from 5,000 won (US$5.40) and all of the 23 works on exhibit were sold. The average price was 78,000 won and "Wicked Flower'' by Lee Hyeon-suk sold at 344,000 won, the highest price in the event. It was followed by "King Is a Little Girl'' by Lee Yeon-ju and "Witch Hunter'' by Jo Jeong-man, which were sold at 164,000 won and 143,000 won, respectively. All of the three highest-price sellers were hand-drawn originals.

Eom Il-nyeo of Daiwon CI said, "An unexpectedly heated environment formed during the auction. There were many persons who had questions about further such events after the auction ended. I think it is possible that a market for original cartoons will be created.''

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]