“고바우 영감” or “Gobau Inspiration” was a cartoon series created by Kim Sung-hwan (김성환) wich first appeared in the weekly magazine Manga Shinbo (만화신보) in 1950. From February 1, 1955 Gobau was serialized in the Dong-a Ilbo, an important national newspaper. In 1980, the cartoon moved after 25 years to the Chosun Ilbo, another national newspaper. By May 1987 10,000 individual episodes had been issued. In 1992 the cartoon was “retired” from the Chosun Ilbo and moved to the Munhwa Ilbo (문화일보). On September 29, 2000, the series was concluded after 14,139 episodes. Gobau holds the longest-running four-cut comic strip in Korean media history.
On December 20, 2012, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the original Gobau paintings would be registered as cultural assets. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the 6496 pieces which Kim Sung-hwan owned himself and the 4247 pieces that the Dong-a Ilbo owned, totaling 1,743 copies, were registered.
