Eunsoo Jeong aka Koreangry is a comics artist, zine creator and animator based in Los Angeles, California. Her zine series “Koreangry” addresses issues of racism, sexism, xenophobia, immigration and mental health as a Korean American immigrant living in the US. Koreangry deftly employs her creative talent, irreverent humor, critical reflection and expansive imagination as a form of cathartic confrontation against social injustices. By recreating scenes of conflict and hope through sculptural clay figurines and miniature props, the reader can feel, in each panel of every page, the sense of reclaiming’s one power and voice. In addition, her visual vignettes are a call for solidarity, camaraderie and collective action towards social justice. Each story is a defiant act of resistance against being insidiously stereotyped as Other, silenced, ignored, and exploited by institutions of systemic oppression and white supremacy still ingrained deeply in our society. Koreangry has a lot to say; and, her sense of urgency and ambition in pushing boundaries through art and storytelling for the greater good is incredibly inspiring and necessary today.
Dawn Wing (DW): Please introduce yourself and briefly describe your literary work and career path to date.
Eunsoo Jeong (EJ): Hello, my name is Eunsoo Jeong, I’m a Los Angeles based artist currently working as a comic artist and color designer in Animation. I was born in South-Korea and immigrated to the United States in 2001 at age 13. I grew up in San Francisco and attended public schools, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the Animation/ Illustration program in San Jose State University. I moved to Los Angeles in 2012 and have been working at multiple Animation studios, including Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Dreamworks TV and Titmouse Animation Studios (currently).
My career path has not been a linear path due to the unpredictable nature of the entertainment business. Throughout those animation gigs, I’ve also done a fellowship with The UCLA Dream Summer Labor Center and worked with a local nonprofit organization, Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
I started my independent comic series Koreangry after the 2016 election and have been working on it since! Until earlier this year, I was traveling across the States to present my work and attend independent comic/ zine events.
DW: How has your own identity as an Asian American influenced your comics, animation, and other creative work? The diversity of your readership?
EJ: I struggled a lot with identifying myself as an Asian American for the longest time. There are several reasons I felt this way––I was undocumented and was an absolutely “Fresh-Off-the-Boat” immigrant without parents with me. The language barrier, my immigration status, and cultural differences didn’t make me feel like I could belong to the Asian American category.
Only since after college have I begun viewing myself as Asian American and claiming that identity has been a personal goal that I’ve been striving for; it has given me solid motivation and purpose for my work.
Growing up as an Asian immigrant, I thought it was normal to hear random Asian words or racist slurs thrown in my direction. I wasn’t taught to speak up during those moments because I was told to live quietly and safely. When I became an adult, even in my school and career, I saw myself going along with how people described me, as a stereotypical, one-dimensional Asian woman, and not by how I defined myself. Koreangry is sort of my cute attempt to fight back and undo the outdated narratives within me.
DW: Thank you so much for being such a prolific zine creator! You have so much rich, powerful content available on social media and through your website. What inspired you to draw and self-publish “Koreangry”? How did you come up with that name and what do you hope readers take away from reading it?
EJ: THANK YOU! I don’t see myself as a prolific zine creator––but I am grateful to have somewhat of a cult following!
Koreangry started after a couple of layoffs in the animation industry during the 2016 election. I was just turning 28 and started to question my career, family, anxiety, identity, and what troubled me the most––anger. I also started opening up about my immigration story through interviews, attended protests, and got involved in communities to find what I had been missing. I wanted to share my frustrations about my career, identity, immigration, family and politics through an anonymous character. Koreangry helped me be comfortable about what I was going through. I went through some crude sketches of angsty characters and iterations on the name before I settled on connecting Korean-Angry to one word, Koreangry.
DW: Who or what inspires you to create? What compelled you to become an animator, draw comics, make zines and create art, in general?
EJ: One of the San Jose State Animation/ Illustration classes was taught by Barron Storey, where he showed us what a zine was and our class collaborated to make a zine where everyone contributed to a collective theme. Barron inspired a lot in my art practice because he encouraged me to be raw and honest with my storytelling. At that time my college boyfriend and I were very inspired to create our own stop motion film after his class. Come to think of it, that was the first time where I felt comfortable building small props and sets.
DW: In June 2020, you posted an open letter on social media “Dear Korean American neighbors” about Black Lives Matters and its connection to US immigration history. What impact did you hope the piece would make and how did readers respond to it?
EJ: I had just finished my 6 month personal research project called The Korean American History Timeline in Koreangry issue 8. I poured myself into learning about other Korean American immigrants in U.S history. During this research, I learned a lot about our immigration history and how the Civil Rights Movements and Activism by Black people influenced Immigration policy, paved the way for race equality, and how much we benefit from these movements today. I also understood the complexity of the older generation of Korean Americans’ fear and discomfort toward black people largely due to internalized racism and the trauma from the LA Riots in 1992.
I was angry that many of the Korean journals I’d found on the riots focused on the property damage and violence, while “Rooftop Koreans” were glorified and Latasha Harlins was forgotten. Then I thought about the older generation of Korean Americans who may be suffering from trauma and may not fully understand what the Black Lives Matter movement is about.
So I drafted a letter addressing what I had learned––I carefully researched, cross referenced, and chose specific words in the translation process as if I were talking to my own grandma. I was extremely nervous sharing this and the response was absolutely overwhelming. I had many folks who thanked my work and have shared it with their family members and friends. I also had many hating Korean folks who were ashamed that I was Korean.
DW: What hopes or aspirations do you have for the diversity and inclusion of voices from historically under-represented communities in comics/zines or other forms of expression in general?
EJ: Before Covid19, I travelled to different states and cities to attend various events to talk about my work and story. Zines and other creative works are just the perfect way to share and highlight those stories that we may have not had much exposure to. My hope is that there is more accessibility for under-represented communities to see themselves in stories. If my work can make you feel less lonely then I’d be proud of what I have done!
DW: What advice can you offer to members of BIPOC communities who are interested in creating comics and zines?
EJ: Comic and zine scenes have been changing a lot to be more inclusive. The storytelling aspect doesn’t have to be always linear and that it can be very open ended with no pressure. Just because you are BIPOC doesn’t necessarily mean you have to successfully represent the BIPOC community, that you have to explain your story, or that you have to only focus on the struggling aspect of the story.
Your unique story, struggle, and voice itself deserves respect because it’s no other person’s story but your own. And that once you decide to share your story––you’d be surprised how many people connect to you and relate to you.
DW: What are your thoughts on zines and comics in libraries? Perhaps in terms of use, production, circulation and access?
EJ: I love libraries and it’s absolutely fantastic that libraries are having zines available to check out/ borrow! Libraries were a huge sanctuary for me growing up and I’m glad to have interacted and collaborated with public libraries expanding their zine and comic sections for people to check out. I also loved meeting the librarians at the events who supported my work by adding it to their collections.
DW: Can you describe an instance when libraries and/or archives played a beneficial role in your work?
EJ: San Francisco Public Library has always supported The San Francisco Zine Fest and I got to participate in one of the readings at the library. It was emotional to be back to the library to share my story with the audience. Having a public library holding community space for more zine and comic artists helps to encourage and connect with audiences who may not have a chance to learn about the artists.
The closest library in my neighborhood, Edendale library (in Echo Park, Los Angeles) has a great collection of zines and comics categorized and organized that are easy to look up and discover new works.
Recently I did an interview with LA Public Library––and it was featured as a blog excerpt on the library website. It was absolutely great since due to Covid-19, I haven’t got as much of a chance to connect with new readers––and the interview helped make that connection.
DW: What are your thoughts on libraries, and their place in building diverse communities?
EJ: When I attended the Portland Zine Fest back in 2017, I was a little intimidated since it was one of the first out of California events––and there were less diverse participants back then. It meant a lot to me to hear attendants validating and appreciating my presence at the event. I got to meet Portland public librarians who supported me by including my zines in the library. It’s intimidating to put yourself out there as an artist especially when you are in a majority of white creators. Having support from librarians/ public libraries can ease up the tension and discomfort in building diverse communities and inclusive creators.
DW: We’re always looking for more to read. What are some books by five authors we should be reading? Why?
EJ: I would love to suggest Lawrence Lindell and Breena Nuñez. I would also like to include Brenda Chi, Hellen Jo, and Maia Kobabe. I’ve gotten to meet these authors personally and these writers/ zinesters have been inspirational in my work. They highlight and uplift the subject matters that are very personal and close to me, but also share experiences that I’m not familiar with/ didn’t really know about in terms of cultural understanding. I hope their works are included in every library/ people’s bookshelves in general for their important perspectives they bring to their work.
DW: What’s next for Koreangry? What are some ongoing and/or upcoming projects you’d like to share?
EJ: I’m excited for more Koreanry comic series myself! I honestly don’t know what’s next but I would love to pitch a show, keep going with my series, and even make children friendly content. I don’t really have a specific plan for any Koreangry project, other than to keep moving forward with my story.
You can find Koreangry on Instagram and Facebook – @koreangry
Visit “Koreangry” online at https://koreangry.com/
Interview by Dawn Wing
Editing support by Silvia Lew