Pop Culture, Tourism, and More

Korean Friends is headlined by a Korean man named Kim San, and his cat Nyang, and dog, Hwang-gu. What is immediately noticeable about the art is that Kim San wears a modern rendition of the traditional male clothing called the hanbok, which is comprised of a jacket or upper garment called the jeorgori, the baji or baggy pants, and the gat or traditional hat.

Kim San’s cat, Nyang, wears what appears to be a schoolgirl uniform (white blouse, necktie, and blue skirt), while the dog Hwang-gu wears a sweater, shirt, and what appears to be yet another version of a traditional winter hat in the country. The webcomic unabashedly displays the parallel lines of culture in the country, putting side by side the traditional and the modern in its national culture.

What sets Korean Friends from other comics spearheaded by government efforts is it brings high entertainment value to each panel, and invites readers to engage in dialogue with the new culture. Instead of relying on the easier approach of just listing information outright, it creates entertaining situations and it attempts to inject wit into every panel. In its August 7, 2019 post, it reiterates that Korean Friends is “ONLY SOUTH KOREA” (Nyang) and “Don’t worry, it’s not about North Korea” (Hwang-gu).