Sung-woo Park

Description
Sung-woo Park is a South Korean manhwa artist born on July 7, 1972, in Busan, South Korea. His career began in 1993 with the publication of Dark Striker in IQ Jump magazine. Over the following decade, he created several notable works, including the series Now, which earned him the Today's Korean Manhwa Award in 2002. Other significant early titles include Chun Rhang Yhur Jhun and Zero.

Internationally, Park is best known for the manga Kurokami, also titled Black God. This action fantasy series was written by Dall-Young Lim with Park serving as the illustrator. The manga was published in Japan by Square Enix in Young Gangan magazine starting in 2005. Kurokami was adapted into a 23-episode anime television series titled Kurokami The Animation, produced by the renowned studio Sunrise. The anime aired from January to June 2009 and was notable for its simultaneous broadcast in Japan, the United States, and South Korea with language dubs, a first in the industry. For the anime adaptation, Park is officially credited as an original creator and for original character design.

Following the success of Kurokami, Park continued to produce manga in Japan, including Meteor Emblem and Anima Cal Livs. He also transitioned to the webtoon format, creating series such as The Wave and Maruhan for platforms like Lezhin Comics and Naver.

Park Sung-woo is recognized for his polished and dynamic art style, which blends Japanese manga influences with a distinct Korean sensibility. He is considered a first-generation Korean cartoonist to adopt a Japanese-style drawing approach and is noted for his prolific output and adherence to deadlines. In his creative partnerships, he has frequently collaborated with writer Lim Dall-young, and in interviews has cited the ability to work from a detailed continuity as a key reason for their continued collaboration. One recurring visual motif in his work is his tendency to draw female protagonists barefoot, a habit he has attributed to finding shoes difficult to draw.
Works