Kang Full

Kang Full (or Kang Pool, ) is the pen name of Kang Do-young (born December 7, 1974), a South Korean webtoon artist and screenwriter. Kang began his career as a cartoonist in 1997, serializing comic reviews in Yeongseo Newspaper, then in 2002, began publishing his cartoons on his personal website. He is one of the first-generation webtoon artists in South Korea.

His works have been adapted into a variety of movies, dramas, and plays. Film adaptations include APT, BA:BO, Hello, Schoolgirl, Late Blossom, Pained, The Neighbor, and 26 Years. However, it was his Disney+ original series Moving (2023), based on his own webtoon of the same name from 2015, that solidified his popularity on an international scale.

Early life and education
Kang Do-young was born on December 7, 1974, in Seoul. His father is a pastor. He moved to Gangdong-gu, Seoul when he was 2 years old and has lived there ever since. During his time as a college student, he gained the nickname "Kang Full" because he frequently wore green clothes. In Korean, 'full' (풀) means 'grass' (풀), hence the nickname. "When I was in college, I saw a cartoon by artist . I thought cartoons were so fun, and I started drawing as a cartoonist in school. By the time I graduated, I had become so fond of cartoons that I thought of it as a career. However, I had no intention of becoming a current affairs cartoonist. I prefer creating stories. Even now, I have the most fun thinking up stories before serializing them." Kang, who majored in Korean Language and Literature at Sangji University, did not undergo any formal training in comic art. During his involvement with the student body at Sangji University, he crafted comic-style wall posters. Realizing that the written posters were not effectively captivating the students, he decided to convert them into comics.

Early career
Kang made the decision to pursue a career as a comic artist shortly before completing his university studies. In 1997, he began serializing comic reviews in the Wonju Yeongseo Newspaper, working under the name Kang Do-young. Despite his efforts, he faced rejections from publishers and ward office gazettes. Only two companies showed interest, but one of them went bankrupt while his series was being serialized. To make a living, Kang resorted to sporadically publishing his works in a few magazines and sports newspapers.

Career breakthrough
Kang achieved a career breakthrough through the internet. Prior to that, he got hired as an illustrator in Weekly Toto. However, there was a significant difference between the life he envisioned and the reality. The challenges of working in the company also became overwhelming, leading him to resign shortly after. In 2002, he established his personal website (kangfull.com) and started sharing his works online. Kang made his entry into the webtoon industry with his debut work, the online daily comic strip titled Everyday Matters (일쌍다반사). When asked about his motivation for exploring the online option, he elaborated,"Daily comic strip are immensely popular as they offer entertainment through relatable and predictable subjects. After a few years, I reached my limits, especially with the saturation of comic strips in the market. During the early 2000s, the concept of web narrative comics didn't exist. Since I wasn't receiving much attention offline, I took a chance online, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Given my limited drawing abilities, I had no choice but to focus on storytelling. Despite my shortcomings in writing and art skills, I was able to excel in creating comics. In a way, comics became my salvation."In July 2002, Kang's website had 10,000 daily visitors, securing the top position among personal websites with a 35% market share. Soon, Kang's works began to be featured regularly by media outlets such as Ddanji Daily, JoongAng Ilbo, Sports Today, and Daum Communication. Additionally, civic organizations such as the Korea Teachers and Education Workers' Union and the Participatory Solidarity Network formed partnerships with him. In fall 2002, Kang curated comics from his website, incorporated new works, and published his debut compilation book titled "Unwavering Question Mark" which released by Yeoreumsol on October 28, 2002.

Later in the same year, he signed a contract with Daum and began serializing a movie review comic titled Let's Have Fun with Movies within Daum's movie section. This pivotal opportunity catapulted him from being a relatively obscure comic artist to a prominent figure in the industry. As the series approached its conclusion, a new platform called "Daum Manhwa-sokseong" was introduced, serving as a precursor to Daum Webtoon. This platform primarily featured essay comics, omnibus comics, and political commentaries. Kang requested additional time from Daum as he contemplated his next project. He deviated from the prevailing trend of short webtoons and opted to develop a new webtoons format.

Serialized fiction webtoons
In 2003, Kang introduced a full-length story format. From August 2003 to April 2004, he serialized Pure Love Comics. The webtoon gained traction on Daum. It reached a total of 60 million page views and maintained an average of 2 million page views per day until its conclusion in April. The webtoon was subsequently published as a two-volume offline manhwa, and plans were made for a film adaptation. This demonstrated the potential of webtoons as a medium for One Source Multi-Use (OSMU).

In May 2004, Kang released his second full-length webtoon titled Apartment. This horror thriller revolves around the life of Go Hyuk, a 29-year-old unemployed individual, who despite facing numerous challenges and a solitary existence, maintains a cheerful personality. The webtoon was later released as a two volumes manhwa in December 2004. The film adaptation of Apartment, titled Apt., brought a twist by changing the gender of the main character. Ko So-young made a comeback after a four-year break to portray the role of Se-jin. The film was produced by Toilet Pictures and Movie World, under the direction of Ahn Byeong-ki.

In November 2004, Kang signed a publishing deal with Japan's Futabasha Publishing Company for his Pure Love Comics, receiving 10 million yen (approximately 100 million won). This was the largest amount ever recorded for a Korean comic in overseas contracts.

Kang was back to romance genre with his third full-length webtoon titled Babo (Fool). It was serialized from November 2004 to April 2005. The main characters are Seung-ryong, who is foolish but has a pure heart, Ji-in, Seung-ryong's younger sibling who dislikes him, and Ji-ho, who majored in piano in the United States.

A year later, Kang's webtoon Timing was serialized from June to October 2005. The story revolves around four main characters with time-related abilities who unite to prevent a series of school murders. These characters include Time Stopper Kim Young-tak, who can halt time; Park Ja-gi, a precognitive dreamer with the ability to glimpse future events; Time Winder Kang Min-hyuk, who can rewind time by 10 seconds; and Jang Se-yoon, a visionary who can foresee events 10 minutes into the future. On August 5, 2006, the first volume of Timing was released in print. This webtoon has been adapted into a film of the same name.

Kang has also drawn attention from the Korean film industry, in early 2006, it was reported that four of Kang's webtoons, Pure Love Comics, Fool, Apartment, and Timing, would be adapted into movies simultaneously.

In 2006, Kang created the webtoon 26 Years. It was serialized from April 10 to September 28, 2006. It portrays a fictional story where the children of the victims of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising seek to assassinate former President Chun Doo-hwan 26 years later. It holds great significance for Kang. He considers it to be the most significant work he has created since the beginning of his career. The film 26 Years was based on this work.

In 2007, Kang released the third season of the romance comic titled I Love You, which portrays the love experienced by alienated elderly. The story revolves around a love story between a grandmother who collects recyclables and a grandfather who delivers milk. According to the portal site Daum, I Love You experiences a 50% increase in total page views every Tuesday and Friday when new episodes were uploaded. Since its serialization, the page views had increased from 2.7 million (in April) to 6.3 million (in July) and generated approximately 30,000 comments.

In June 2007, it was announced that a 3D film—alternately referred to as a sequel or prequel to the 2006 film The Host in news reports—was in progress, with a different director. Kang had been hired as the screenwriter. The film had an estimated budget of around US$12 million. At the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2010, an FX demo reel was unveiled, and a release date in the summer of 2012 was announced. He eventually discontinued it midway.

In 2008, Kang released The Neighbor, a mystery genre comic serialized from June 9 to October 29, 2008. Through the story of a serial killer, it examines indifference and breakdown of communication. It was also made into a film of the same name, starring actors Kim Yoon-jin, Ma Dong-seok, Cheon Ho-jin, Kim Sung-kyun, and Kim Sae-ron, attracting 2.4 million viewers. By 2008, Kang's webtoons had surpassed 300 million page views.

Kang's work Again was serialized as the fourth season of the Mystery Psychological Anecdote from July 6, 2009, to November 20, 2009. Afterward, he published this work as three volumes manhwa. Again depicts the struggle between individuals who seek immortality by stealing the life of an unborn baby, defying fate and time, and the time-telekinetics who selflessly sacrifice themselves to thwart their plans. Through this work, Kang aimed to showcase the universe he created in comics. Again serves as a stepping stone and a connecting link to the ongoing series.

Every Moment of Your Life is the fourth installment in Kang's romantic webtoon series. It was serialized on the Daum portal site 'Manhwasoksesang' from August 2010, running for a span of six months. The webtoon had an average of 2 million daily visitors and a total of 150 million visits. The story set in 2012, as the new year commenced, a sudden outbreak of zombies occurred in Seoul, turning the city into a battleground. The protagonist, narrowly escaping the crisis by taking shelter in a house, determined to embark on a perilous journey to rescue their beloved ones.

The webtoon Lighting Store was serialized bi-weekly on from August 8 to December 6, 2011. It revolves around a lighting store that possesses the power to control life. The webtoon explores the concept of mystery psychology, where stories about strangers are written based on the lighting fixtures found in everyday life. "I've heard many people say that Lighting Store was the most challenging among my comics. I thought that if readers gave it another read, they would understand everything. Actually, the last episode was quite long, so I cut out about one-third of it and just released it. In the past, I used to draw comics with detailed explanations, but this time, I wanted to try something different. From now on, I'll go back to creating easier comics. However, to be honest, I often have this thought: 'Why bother drawing and then explaining the whole thing again?' Sometimes, I feel like the entire work is my own story, and I believe that if readers give it another read, they will understand. As a little tip, you can consider it as the story of a woman. It's a story that starts with a woman wondering, 'Did that man truly love me?' If you focus on that aspect and read it again, I think you will understand what it's all about."

In 2012, Kang, celebrated his 10-year anniversary as webtoon artist by hosting a book concert titled 'Kang Full, 10 Years of Romance Comics'. The event took place at Art Center K in Daehakro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of March 31. It was the first book concert organized by a domestic webtoon author, attracting over 300 fans. During the event, Kang Full discussed his works, starting from his debut piece Everyday Matters to Apartment, Again, and Lighting Store. Accompanying Kang as guests were writer Yoon Tae-ho of the webtoon Moss and writer Joo Ho-min of Along with the Gods.

Kang's 11th webtoon, The Witch, serialized from October 18, 2013, to June 20, 2014, depicts a man pursuing a dangerous love affair. Despite it starting as a one-sided love, he decides to act when he sees his lover isolating herself due to ongoing incidents. Risking his life, he strives to reach her and bring her out of her world.

Kang's action series: Moving, Bridge, and Hidden
On February 16, 2015, Kang Full released a teaser for his upcoming work titled Moving: Children with Superpowers and Their Gifted Parents. Accompanied by a message from Kang Full on Twitter, the teaser hinted at an action-packed webtoon. This work was serialized from February 16 to September 15, 2015. It is Kang Full's longest-running and twelfth full-length comic, surpassing the usual 30-episode length of his previous works and extending to 45 episodes. On April 28, 2016, Moving was released as a book published by Wisdom House. The series consists of 5 volumes and falls into the genre of superhero comics.

In November of the same year, Kang returned with his weekly strip titled Kang Full's Jojo. The series is serialized on NCSoft's official blog, Space Conquest. The concept of the strip involves watching a newly released movie every Thursday and posting a review cartoon on the same day, specifically focusing on the characters from that movie.

The series Bridge released in March 2017 as a sequel to Moving and serves as a bridge to a broader worldview. In Bridge, the three main characters from Moving - Bong-seok, Hee-su, and Kang-hoon - appear as adults. Additionally, characters from Kang's other work, Timing, such as Yeong-tak, Ja-gi, and Min-hyuk, with their unique abilities, also make appearances in Bridge. The series seamlessly connects the characters and events from both works, creating a cohesive narrative that combines physical and temporal abilities.



In April 2017, Kang Full's webtoon adaptation Moving was announced as part of future drama line-up of newly established Studio and New, subsidiary of Next Entertainment World. In 2021, Moving was announced as a Disney+ original series, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, and Jo In-sung. This project, marked Kang's debut as a screenwriter. Directed by Park In-je, director of the film Ordinary People (2017) and Netflix series Kingdom Season 2.

Writer Kang Full has announced that he will release a webtoon called Hidden following Bridge. He also said he would release five of the superpower series over 10 years. However, as writer Kang participated directly in the script and adaptation of Moving, Hidden, which was planned to be serialized in 2019, but is unreleased. The drama version of Moving featured narratives and characters that were not in the webtoon, such as Frank and Jeon Gye-do. Frank, the villain who appears in the drama Moving, was originally a character that writer Kang Full wanted to appear in the webtoon Hidden.

Children picture books
Kang's wish to create something for his daughter led him to write the children's book Hi, Friend. It was published in January 2013 as the "first birthday gift" for his daughter. The book quickly gained popularity and became the 14th best-selling book during the fourth week of that year. Later, in December, Hi, Friend was adapted into a family musical, filled with meaningful messages for children. Produced through a collaboration between the performance production company NEO and the Hwaseong City Cultural Foundation, the musical was performed at the U&I Center Hwaseong Art Hall from December 19 to 31.

Kang's second picture book, titled Ice Ding!, delves into the realm of play culture that may be unfamiliar to children today. It encompasses activities such as ticking, hitting tombstones, ice dancing, and playing tag. Through the book, readers are taken on a journey through a neighborhood vacant lot, where children engage in nostalgic games. The story was written as a reminder of cherished memories for adults, while imparting lessons to children about the importance of friendship.

In 2016, Kang Full participated in an exhibition hosted by the Incheon City Lifelong Learning Centre, curated by In Kyung-sik. The exhibition, titled "Kang Full Choi Sook-hee, Hi, My Friend! It's Okay," was held at the Dasom gallery until January 28. Visitors had the opportunity to see approximately 30 artworks, including 15 pieces by Kang Full titled "Hi Friend" and 15 pieces by Choi Sook-hee titled "It's Okay." These artworks explored themes of embracing new experiences, considering others, and fostering confidence. The exhibition aimed to convey a supportive message to children as they embarked on their journey in the world.

The Kang Full Cartoon Alley
As part of Gangdong-gu Office's urban regeneration project, 'The Kang Full Cartoon Alley' was established in Seongnae-dong. This public art installation showcases webtoon artist Kang Full's works, including popular titles like Pure Love Comics, Fool, Every Moment of Yours, and I Love You. The street underwent a significant transformation, incorporating Kang Full's artwork into murals. The project was completed in September 2013, with Kang Full collaborating with Pingpong Art, as well as numerous participating artists and volunteer muralists from across the country.

'Seungryong's House' opened in the residential area of The Kang Full Cartoon Alley in Gangdong-gu on February 8, 2017. It is a local community facility named after 'Seungryong', the main character of Kangfull's webtoon Fool. Positioned at the end of Kang Full Cartoon Street, 'Seungryong's House' consists of a cafe on the first floor, a comic book room on the second floor, and a workspace for young artists on the third floor.

The Kang Full Cartoon Alley received the Landscape Award at the '2017 Asia Urban Landscape Awards' held in Euncheon, China on September 28. The Asia Urban Landscape Award is an internationally recognized award in the field of landscape, held annually since 2010 and co-hosted by UN-Habitat Fukuoka Headquarters, Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Institute, Asia Habitat Association, and Asian Landscape Design Society; and esteemed recognition given to cities, regions, and businesses that have demonstrated notable achievements in the Asian region.

In December, Major Lee Hae-sik of Gangdong-gu commissioned the creation of ten additional murals in the area. Before undertaking the project, the district carefully considered factors such as the flow and connectivity within the cartoon street, the aesthetic and emotional harmony with the existing murals, and the overall ambiance of the alley environment. Subsequently, through a collaborative process involving consultations with residents, ten murals were strategically placed in suitable locations. The creation of these murals involved the participation of four webtoon artists from Seungryong's House, the mural specialist company 'Dream In Coexistence', as well as dedicated volunteers.

Art Style/Technique and materials
Kang prefers to work from a plot rather than from a full script. Film adaptation.

Kang Full Universe
Kang Full universe is the shared universe in which most stories in Kang Full webtoons serialized in Daum Webtoon (now Kakao Webtoon). All works belonging to the so-called "Kang Full Universe," which share the same universe and worldview, have shown a steep upward trend in popularity. Starting with the work "Apartment" in 2004, Kang Full, the author, has been consistently presenting his unique and captivating fictional universe for 13 years, including "Timing" (2005), "Again" (2009), "Light Shop" (2011), "Moving" (2015), and "Bridge" (2017). Characters from "Apartment" and individuals with time-manipulating abilities from "Timing" play active roles in "Light Shop" and "Again," while the physically gifted individuals from "Moving" and the time-manipulating individuals from "Timing" come together in "Bridge" to confront a great threat while seeking to save their loved ones.

Moving pop up Store.

Personal life
Kang married his wife in 2006. After 6 years of marriage, his daughter Kang So-ri (nickname Eunchong) was born on January 14, 2013.

Kang's family share their home with two cats, Godori and Cheongwoon. He is active in rescuing stray cats, particularly those in need of surgery or assistance. In February 2013, while working on a mural project for the neighborhood, Kang proposed the idea of stray cat feeding stations in Gangdong-gu. His proposal was accepted by the district Mayor Lee Hae-sik. Since June 2013, Gangdong-gu has installed 'stray cat feeding stations' at 18 community centers and major government offices. This project was the first of its kind in the country.

Accolades
In 2013, The Kang Full Cartoon Alley was established (named in his honour) in Gangdong-gu, Seoul.