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SEK Studio
North Korean state-owned animation studio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Korean April 26 Animation Studio[3] (Korean: 조선4.26만화영화촬영소), also known as SEK Studio (an abbreviation of "Scientific Educational Korea"), is a state-owned North Korean animation studio. It is based in Ot'an-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.[4]
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History
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The studio was founded on September 1957 as April 26 Children's Film Studio (4.26아동영화촬영소).[1]
SEK Studio worked with foreign animators and companies with relative frequency for a North Korean operation throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Around 1985, it began to outsource animation for European television.[5] It also subcontracted work on over 250 foreign animations. It mainly worked on subcontracting Russian, Italian, French, Spanish and Chinese animation, with American animation being outsourced in an indirect way.
SEK has worked on several animated series with Mondo TV, including Pocahontas: Princess of the American Indians[6] and Simba the King Lion.[7][8][9] SEK has also produced features such as the French science fiction epic Gandahar and Empress Chung.[10]
In 1997, it registered as SEK Studio, an abbreviation Scientific Educational Korea, in order to take part in an animation festival in France.[11]
According to Cinema Escapist, its most prominent US projects were The Simpsons Movie, Futurama: Bender's Big Score and an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender.[12] According to the Korean Film Council, SEK Studio outsourced episode 72 of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.[13]
Recently, collaborations between SEK Studio and other nations have declined, with only China co-producing content. This can largely be attributed to rising tensions between North Korea and the West, notably the United States.[14]
SEK Studio participated in "Shijiazhuang International Animation Exhibition" on September 30, 2014.[15]
Since 2010s, SEK studio has subcontracted many animation studios in China and outsourced Chinese TV series, web animations, game graphics and commercials. SEK is currently pursuing large-scale projects with Chinese animation companies, and web animations produced in China.[16]
In December 2021, the US Treasury accused SEK Studio, and companies and individuals related to it, of exploiting North Korean workers to earn foreign currency and avoid sanctions on North Korea.[17] In April 2024, a server leak revealed that some Western television series, such as Invincible and Iyanu: Child of Wonder, as well as the Japanese anime series Dahlia in Bloom, had been worked on by SEK Studio, despite sanctions.[18][19] The official Twitter account of the anime issued a statement, saying that "neither the production committee nor the production studio were aware". The studio working on the anime, Ekachi Epilka, also posted on their homepage that their work files was used without their permission, and denied involvement with SEK Studio. They speculated that the leak came from a subcontractor company.[20]
Previous names
SEK Studio was founded in 1957 as April 26 Children's Animation Film Studio.[14]
- Korean National Film Studio – Puppet Animation Film Research Institute (1957–1959)
- Korean National Film Studio – Animation Film Studio (1959–1960)
- Korean National Film Studio – Animation Film Production (1960–1964)
- Korean Children's Film Studio (1964–1971)
- Korean Science Education Film Studio – Animation Film Production Team (1971–1980)
- Korean Science Education Film Studio – Children's Film Production Team (1980–1996)
- Korean 4.26 Children's Film Studio (1996–2013)
- Korean April 26 Animation Studio (2013–)[3]
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SEK Studio today
As of 2003, SEK Studio employed over 1,500[11] or 1,600[21] people and subcontracted work for over 70 companies from around the globe, including Europe, South Korea, China, Canada and the United States. After the introduction of advanced equipment[clarification needed], the number of employees was reduced to about 500.[22] There are 11 animation production teams in SEK Studio. 9 teams are responsible for overseas animations subcontracting, and 2 teams produce domestic animations.[23] According to Animation Career Review, SEK is the 85th most influential animation studio of all-time. SEK Studio's staff is mostly composed of Pyongyang Art Academy graduates, and SEK Studio has established an animation training institute to teach young students.[24]
In 2014, SEK Studio cooperated with Chinese companies to establish an office in Beijing. SEK Studio has invested $70,000 in Chinese companies.[25]
Much of the work produced by SEK Studio is considered to be propaganda for North Korean children, as SEK Studio is state-owned.[14]
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Filmography
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Source:[26][better source needed]
Television
SEK Studio has produced over 300 animations.
Outsourced animations
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: information on local productions from this company. You can help by adding to it. (December 2019) |
This is a partial list of the works outsourced by SEK Studio.
Film
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In popular culture
Canadian animator and cartoonist Guy Delisle documented his experience working at SEK Studio in his graphic novel, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea.[30]
See also
References
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