Korean April 26 Animation Studio (Korean:조선4.26만화영화촬영소), also known as SEK Studio (an abbreviation of "Scientific Educational Korea"), is a state-owned North Koreananimation studio. It is based in Ot'an-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
History
The studio was founded on September 1957 as April 26 Children's Film Studio (4.26아동영화촬영소).
SEK Studio worked with foreign animators and companies with relative frequency for a North Korean operation during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Around 1985, it worked on outsourced animation for European television. It worked on over 250 foreign animations. It mainly worked on subcontracted Russian, Italian, French, Spanish and Chinese animation, while working indirectly on outsourced American animation.[citation needed]
SEK worked on several animated series with Mondo TV, including Pocahontas: Princess of the American Indians[failed verification] and Simba the King Lion. SEK also produced animated features such as Gandahar and Empress Chung.
In 1997, in order to take part in an animation festival in France, it registered as the "Scientific & Educational Film Studio of Korea". SEK is an abbreviation of this name.
Recently, collaborations between SEK Studio and other nations have declined, with only China co-producing content. This can be attributed to rising tensions between North Korea and the West, especially the United States.
As of 2003, SEK Studio employed over 1,500 or 1,600 people and worked 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. There are 11 animation production teams in SEK Studio. Nine are responsible for overseas animations, and two produce domestic animations.
Since 2010s, SEK studio has subcontracted many animation studios in China and outsourced Chinese TV series, web animations, game graphics and commercials.[citation needed] In 2014, SEK Studio cooperated with Chinese companies to establish an office in Beijing. SEK Studio has invested $70,000 in Chinese companies.
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. 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. 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 subcontracted company.
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.[citation needed]
Much of the work produced by SEK Studio is considered to be propaganda for North Korean children, as SEK Studio is state-owned.
Previous names
SEK Studio was founded in 1957 as April 26 Children's Animation Film Studio.
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)
↑남북 애니메이션 교류 백서(PDF). Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (in Korean). Archived from the original(PDF) on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
↑"Title not available"(PDF) (in Korean). Korea Culture & Travel Institute. 2012. pp.138–39. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
