Nationality South Korea Hangul 최종일 Revised Romanization Choi Jong-il | Years active 1995-present Hanja 崔鍾日 | |
Born November 5, 1965 (age 51) ( 1965-11-05 ) Occupation President and CEO of Iconix Entertainment | ||
Choi Jong-il (born November 5, 1965) is a South Korean president and CEO of Iconix Entertainment. Choi is best known as the creator of Pororo, a cartoon penguin which is a global hit.
Creator of Pororo
Choi created Pororo, a cartoon penguin in 2003. Pororo means "to walk nimbly in short steps" in Korean. The cartoon series has since become a global hit seen in 130 countries.
Choi feels the cartoon's success stems from the fact the penguin and his adventures are all about a kid's daily life, in contrast to western cartoons' penchant for "idealistic" themes, such as saving the world or fighting justice or showing extraordinary bravery.
He opened his first Pororo Park in Seoul five years ago, bringing the total to seven Pororo Parks in South Korea, while there are currently three in China. He was recently in Singapore to open the South-east Asia’s first Pororo Park at Marina Square on November 11, 2015.