Hyung Joo Kim
Story-driven illustrator creating worlds for books & brands.
New to Contra
Hyung Joo is ready for their next project!
When a Tool Becomes Part of Your Art
People sometimes ask where my work belongs.
When I studied craft design, every project had a clear purpose. It had to solve a problem.
Later, when I studied fine art, I was expected to express my own world. Learning to write artist statements...
The Unofficial Side of Korean Neighborhood Life in LALATOWN
I never wanted to stop drawing.
But I also knew I needed to make a living somehow.
For a long time I kept asking myself, How can I continue illustrating the worlds I love while building a sustainable creative business?
One...
Lucky Days & Little Signs
The LALATOWN Monthly Auspicious Calendar · July 2026
Hello, neighbors.
As I promised in the June edition, here is our July Lucky Days & Little Signs calendar.
July is just around the corner, and I thought it would be fun to share another little piece of...
From a Memory to LALATOWN: Café Macchiato
Some people might look at this illustration and wonder:
“What is this?”
“Why Café Macchiato?”
“Is it a cartoon?”
And honestly, I understand.
But this illustration is not really about a café.
It is about a memory.
It is about kindness.
It is about...
Lala All the Way
I made this staircase about ten years ago.
To be honest, I still don’t think of it as art.
At the time, we simply did not have the money to replace everything that was old, worn out, or falling apart. So I did what I always did. I fixed it myself.
And I loved it.
I...
