Byong-Ho Han: Korea ⋆ Illustrator

Byong-Ho Han began illustrating children's books at a time when the market for children's illustration in Korea was booming, and he continues to lead the way in the field. Born in Seoul in 1962, Han graduated from the College of Fine Arts at Chugye University for the Arts in 1988 and began working as an illustrator at a Korean stationary company. After completing a course on children's book making through the Association of Korean Publishing Illustrators, Han dedicated his life to illustrating children's books, publishing his first book in 1992. He often uses illustration to explore Korean culture, and while he does partake in Korean traditional artistic styles, he also incorporates Western techniques, allowing him to expand his audience while still connecting with young Korean readers.

Early on, Han began incorporating various artistic styles into his illustrations, such as watercolor, gouache, etching, and lithograph. He mixes both Asian and Western styles, creating a unique aesthetic experience for Korean children. Having grown up on the outskirts of Seoul before its urbanization, Han is able to express the beauty of nature and the importance of its preservation. Living both before and after the industrialization of Korea, he recognizes the rapid depletion of the natural environment and uses his artistic style to advocate environmentalism. Not only does Han offer a contemporary spin on his traditionally Korean artistic style in his illustrations, he also connects with readers on a personal level, characterizing the everyday life of a child in unique ways. His illustrated books offer freedom—escape from tedious everyday life—and encourage his readers to search for deeper meaning in their own lives. Books such as I Want to Be a Bird (2004) and Salmon (2007) encourage deep connections to nature, just as they challenge the reader to transcend the boundaries of everyday urban lifestyle.

Han's works have been translated into French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai, and he has earned a number of awards and other distinctions. In 1997, he won his first award—the Sixth Children's Culture Grand Prize for Illustration for The Dokkaebi Club—and in 2005 he received the Golden Apple at the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) for I Want to Be a Bird. Most recently, he's won the 2012 Excellent Children's Book Award by Junior Hankuk for The Day Baby Otter Came, and has attended many international children's book fairs. Han continues to inspire his young readers through the magic of illustration as he progresses in his artistic passion.