[K-ART FOCUS] For Seok Chang-woo, painting opened world beyond his dreams

On a routine day in October 1984, Seok Chang-woo, a 29-year-old electrical technician with two young children, was performing maintenance tasks at his workplace. While cleaning a final spot on some electrical equipment, he accidentally came into contact with a high-voltage power source, receiving a shocking 22,900 volts of electricity. The injury left Seok without the use of his arms and two toes, and he was hospitalized for an extended period of over a year and a half.

In 1988, four years after the accident, Seok's four-year-old son presented him with a drawing pad. Initially occupied with household chores, Seok's wife suggested that he ask his father to draw something. Intrigued by his wife's words, she entered his room and witnessed him skillfully fitting a pencil into the hook of his prosthetic arm. Seok proceeded to draw an eagle from a bird guide, beginning with sketches of sparrows, magpies, and swallows, and eventually venturing into cartoon characters.

What initially started as a simple activity to entertain his young son, painting transformed Seok's life. Over time, his newfound passion evolved into mastering calligraphy, figure drawing, and eventually, creating expansive abstractions using his entire body.