It has been three years since the late artist Jang Seong-rak, who sparked the 'Solo Leveling' craze among webtoon fans worldwide, left us.
Jang Seong-rak, the artist responsible for the webtoon 'Solo Leveling,' which recorded a cumulative view count of 14.3 billion, passed away from a brain hemorrhage on July 23, 2022, at the age of 37. The production company Redice Studio stated, "The funeral was quietly held as a family ceremony according to the wishes of the bereaved family, and the deceased had been suffering from a brain hemorrhage due to a chronic illness."
The production company explained, "The funeral was quietly held as a family ceremony according to the wishes of the bereaved family, and the deceased had been suffering from a brain hemorrhage due to a chronic illness."
In light of the deceased's passing, the Webtoon Association pointed out that it is time to discuss the excessive labor intensity of artists.
The Webtoon Association stated in a press release at the time, "While there has been no clear indication that the cause of death of the deceased was due to excessive labor intensity, there were likely other contributing factors as well," but noted, "It can be inferred that the working conditions of the deceased were very harsh." Additionally, it emphasized that this labor environment is "not merely a problem related to the deceased; considering the reality, the industry has indeed formed a deadly high-intensity work environment, and this issue must not be fragmented as a mere personal issue anymore."
Jang Seong-rak began his career participating in the art for 'Space Dandy' alongside artist Park Seong-woo in Japan. He gained recognition for his skills with works such as 'Geomyeongyeoldo' and 'Beautiful Legend,' and upon returning to Korea, he garnered public love with 'Solo Leveling.'
'Solo Leveling' is based on a web novel of the same name, serialized on KakaoPage starting in March 2018 and concluded in December 2021. The work gained explosive popularity not only in Korea but also in Japan, the United States, and China, recording a cumulative global view count of 14.2 billion and setting a new milestone in the webtoon world.
The absence of Jang Seong-rak was a deep shock to both fans and the industry; however, the side story of 'Solo Leveling' released in 2023 was a tribute and respect from those left behind. Fellow artists joined forces to fill his place, and their intentions were faithfully conveyed through the work.
A legend of the webtoon world, Jang Seong-rak. Although he has laid down his brush, his drawings continue to live on in the memories of countless readers.
[Photo] 'Solo Leveling'
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