29th Bucheon International Comics Festival Opens on September 18

The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency is hosting the 29th Bucheon International Comics Festival (BICOF) for three days from September 18 to 20 in and around the Korea Manhwa Museum.

Under the theme “Comics and Webtoons Are For Everyone,” this year’s festival features exhibitions, hands-on activities, cosplay, creator programs, international exchanges, and industry business programs. The 10th Gyeonggi International Cosplay Festival (GICOF), the Gyeonggi International Webtoon Fair, and events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the International Comic Artists Conference (ICC) will also be held concurrently.

The opening ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. on September 18 in the theater at the Korea Manhwa Museum. A red carpet and photo wall event will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a screening of the festival trailer, an introduction to BICOF 2026, celebratory performances, and award presentations for the National Student Comic Contest and the Bucheon Comics Awards. J. Robin, creator of the webtoon “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” will participate as this year’s promotional ambassador.

During the festival, special exhibitions will include “Murim,” which highlights the martial arts genre centered on the 2025 Bucheon Comics Awards winners, an exhibition of the 2026 Bucheon Comics Awards winners, an exhibition of winning works from the National Student Comic Contest, and a showcase featuring “Our Neighborhood Comic Characters.”

Marking its 10th anniversary, GICOF will hold a commemorative exhibition looking back at its history. On September 19, the “GICOF Championship” featuring national cosplayers from Korea and abroad will take place, followed on September 20 by an amateur and K-webtoon cosplay competition, a kids’ cosplay runway show, and the GICOF Photo Show. One-day classes covering cosplay makeup and prop making will also be offered.

Creator programs will also take place. On September 19, a webtoon-and-theater talk featuring author Baek Won-dal of the webtoon “An Old Person’s Dream” alongside actors Yoon Hee-seok and Shin Eun-jung will be followed by a session with creators BK_Moon, Lee Hyun-min, and Kim Hyun-soo of “The Greatest Estate Developer,” winner of the grand prize at the 2026 Bucheon Comics Awards. On September 20, commemorating the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, French graphic artist Uy-Vinh Landroux and author Kim Keum-suk will hold a dialogue, alongside a session with Instatoon creator Goongri.

The Gyeonggi International Webtoon Fair will be held at the Webtoon Convergence Center from September 17 to 18. Previously held at KINTEX in Ilsan, the event has moved to Bucheon this year to support networking and business exchange among domestic and international industry professionals.

The special exhibition “Connection,” marking the 30th anniversary of the International Comic Artists Conference, will present 16 works from eight regions. On September 18, a standing committee meeting, an appreciation plaque ceremony, a roundtable, and a networking meeting for industry personnel will be conducted. In addition, Uy-Vinh Landroux’s “Villa Bucheon” exhibition, celebrating the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations, will be showcased.

Other interactive programs include the “BICOF Playground,” which offers free caricatures, a retro arcade, and cosplay costume experiences, as well as an outdoor comic cafe, a comic and webtoon OST contest, and comic busking.

Baek Jong-hoon, director of the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, said, “This year’s Bucheon International Comics Festival features a rich lineup of programs so that anyone who loves comics and webtoons can encounter diverse stories and directly experience the infinite possibilities of comics.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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