HelloWorks to Revive Korea's First SF Comic 'Rayphie' at Global Stage Hollywood

Seoul studio HelloWorks will present its plan to revive 1959 comic 'Rayphie' as global IP, starting with a documentary on creator Sanho Kim, in Hollywood Oct 3

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, CA, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- LOS ANGELES, CA — HelloWorks, a Seoul-based short-drama and AI content studio, will present its plan to bring back 'Rayphie' (라이파이), widely regarded as Korea's first science-fiction comic, as a global intellectual property business at Global Stage Hollywood (GSH) on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at the TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

Sam Woo, head of HelloWorks' Los Angeles office, will deliver the presentation, 'Rayphie: The Revival of Korea's First SF Comic and a Global IP Business,' at 1:05 p.m. PT during the festival's Korea session, 'Korean Entertainment Tech Companies Going Global.' The two-hour session, held in Korean and English, is organized by K-EnterTech Hub in partnership with GSH.

A 1959 hero returns
Rayphie was drawn by cartoonist Sanho Kim (김산호) and serialized in Korea from 1959 to 1962, running to four parts and 32 volumes. Readers who grew up in Korea in the 1960s still remember the character. Kim later moved to the United States and worked for Charlton Comics from 1969 to 1976; the comics database Lambiek lists more than 300 of his credits. Apart from a 2003 reissue and a short AI-generated video in 2025, no new Rayphie story has appeared since 1962.

HelloWorks is starting with the creator. The company is producing a documentary, 'Korea's First SF Cartoonist Sanho Kim and the Return of Rayphie,' with principal photography scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and a broadcast target of the second quarter of 2027. Animation and other formats are planned to follow once awareness is established.

"We have to do the IP contract first," said Koo Yong-nam (구용남), chief executive of HelloWorks, explaining that the company will not pitch the property abroad until the rights are secured.
Koo sees room for a Korean superhero in a market already familiar with K-pop and Korean drama. "If K-culture broke through because of BTS and ARMY, with K-pop and K-culture combined, then a Korean superhero animation that combines taekwondo with K-culture and K-pop could find a response as a new genre," he said.

From script development to short drama
Koo founded HelloWorks in August 2018. The team began by developing scripts in new genres for CJ ENM over four to five years before moving into short-form drama as the theatrical market shrank. Its short drama 'Wife's Letter of Resignation' (아내 사직서) ranked 11th among new releases on ReelShort, and its 'K-Short Drama AI' work was screened at GAMFF 2026. The company has an office in Mapo, Seoul, and a US office in California that works with local promoters and venues on K-pop performances.
HelloWorks uses generative AI in production but is careful about how it describes itself. "When you work with AI these days, you see far too many companies coming out as AI production studios," Koo said.
Beyond the United States, HelloWorks is developing VR K-pop concert content in Vietnam, has signed an MOU with a Chinese partner covering the co-production of five short dramas, and is preparing programming for K-Channel 82, a Korean-content channel for US audiences.

The Korea session at GSH
After a welcome from GSH executive producer Douglas Montgomery, a 17-year veteran of international distribution at Warner Bros., the HelloWorks presentation will be followed by a response from Artem "Tommy" Petrov, co-founder and CEO of CopySight AI, on checking rights in AI content built on existing IP.

Millennial Works, operator of the AI theme-park platform SPACE:V and the AI content kiosk ANYMOMENT, will then present on expanding AI-driven IP experience spaces overseas, with a response from Anisa Abeytia, head of AI innovation at HumaAI.
Two fireside chats follow from 2:05 p.m. The first, 'AI and Rights,' covers how Korea's AI Basic Act labelling rules for generative AI compare with US conditions. The second, 'Korean Entertainment Tech Companies Going Global,' brings together Samseog Ko (고삼석), distinguished professor at Dongguk University; Montgomery; Kunhee Park (박근희), former head of Wavve Americas; and Sam Woo to discuss routes into the US market and what reviving a classic IP like Rayphie requires. The session ends at 3 p.m. with audience Q&A and a group photo. Jung Han, CEO of K-EnterTech Hub, will moderate.

About Global Stage Hollywood
Global Stage Hollywood is a film festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre that showcases films from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia. The 2026 festival runs Oct. 2–4 and opens with a red-carpet gala premiere. At the 2025 festival, the Korean film 'Florence' (피렌체), directed by Lee Chang-yeol, won best picture, best director and best screenplay.

About HelloWorks
HelloWorks is a Seoul-based creative studio founded in 2018 that develops and produces short-form drama, AI content and K-pop performance content for global platforms. It operates a US office in California.

About K-EnterTech Hub
K-EnterTech Hub is a media and business platform covering the intersection of Korean entertainment and technology. It organizes the Korea session at Global Stage Hollywood and connects Korean content and technology companies with partners in the US market.

Event details
Korea Session: Korean Entertainment Tech Companies Going Global
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, 1:00–3:00 p.m. PT
TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028

Jung Han
K-EnterTech Hub
+1 812-837-7424
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