What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the act of claiming original authorship or incorporating material from someone else's work into your own work without crediting the original author, sometimes doing such an act unconsciously is also considered plagiarism.

When it comes to manga and plagiarism, things never end well. Sometimes manga found guilty of plagiarizing are suspended and recalled, and some authors even stop working. There are also times when people, or even an entire nation, get away with nothing. The world of manga plagiarism is full of interesting, sad, and sometimes funny tales.

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From the Hankyoreh comes an article titled "Korean comic books win over European fans," which looks at how Korean manhwa are becoming increasingly popular among European fans:

Europe occupies up to 40 percent of the overall export market for South Korean comic books, the industry estimates, becoming the biggest market, followed by the U.S. and Asia with 30 percent each.

Via: Journalista

Villagers (Tianjin) Manga Ltd., the first ever Chinese-foreign joint venture manga company, will be established on June 28th in Tianjin, China.

Villagers (Tianjin) Manga Ltd., a joint venture between China and Korea, aims to become one of the biggest original Chinese comics publisher, and help spread Chinese comics overseas.

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From Papo de Budega comes an interview with Min-Woo Hyung, a well-known Korean manhwa artist, who talked about some of his well-known title and other projects.

Min Woo-Hyung is the author of Priest, a manhwa currently being released in America by Tokyopop and in Brazil by Lumus Publishing company.

The Star Online has published an article looking at the success of Kami no Shizuku (Drops of God), a wine manga that is taking China and Korea by storm.

This year's New York Asian Film Festival features the East Coast premiere of DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE: THE LAST NAME with director Shusuke Kaneko in attendance. Both movies will be presented in association with JAPAN CUTS ??? Festival of New Japanese Film and they will take place at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues). Advanced tickets go on sale Thursday, June 7. Please go to www.subwaycinema.com for more details.

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Korean news channel MBC reports that a "red" notebook that imitates Death Note is currently very popular among elementary school students in Korea.

The report states that thanks to do the popularity of Death Note, similar death notebooks have become very popular among elementary school children in Korea. The "red" notebook can be purchased from stores around school for 3,000 Korean won (approximately 3.2 USD).

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Toronto, ON - May 29 2007 - What is Korean Manhwa? Combine unique storytelling techniques and manga-influenced artwork with the rich and diverse culture of Korea and you'll end up with the latest craze in Asian comics! UDON Entertainment has partnered with Korean publisher Haksan to bring the best Korean Manhwa to North America and English readers everywhere in the Fall of 2007.

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Kim Tae-Hyung (?????????), creator of Planet Blood, is one of the more well-known manhwa artists today. His works are published in American Tokyopop and in Brazil by Lumus Publishing company.

From Papo de Budega comes an interview with Kim Tae-Hyung, who talks about his well-known title as well as various other projects.

Source: Papo de Budega

In an article titled "Korean Otaku Turn Aprons Up at 'Moe' Warm, Fuzzy Feelings," Mainichi Daily looks at the differences between Japanese otaku and Korean otaku, and how the concept of "Moe" does is almost non-existent in Korea's otaku culture:

"There's still a concept close to moe in Korean otaku culture. There's a word 'haakku,' which means to get excited, or feel good. But this word doesn't really apply to the gaming or cosplay worlds here, yet it does apply to kinky stuff, [...] In Korea, Lolicon is outlawed and maid cafes were a flop."