SEK Studio

Korean April 26 Animation Studio () is a North Korean animation studio, based in Othan-dong, Central District, Pyongyang.
History.
The studio started operations in September 1957, as 4.26 Children's Film Studio (4.26아동영화촬영소). Around 1985, it began to outsource animation for European television. It was registered as the SEK Studio which stands for Scientific Educational Korea in 1997 in order to take part at an animation festival in France. SEK Studio participated in "Shijiazhuang International Animation Exhibition" on September 30, 2014. SEK Studio is expected to introduce a new science fiction genre animation. Since 2010s, SEK studio has contracted with many animation studios in China and outsourced in Chinese TV series, web animations, game graphics and commercials. SEK is currently pursuing large-scale projects with Chinese animation companies. It relates to web animated series that will be produced in China.
According to The Pyongyang Times, the studio helps children develop judgement, thinking and reasoning skills, and the studio contributes to the intellectual and ideological education of the people, rejecting the creation of cartoons for purely amusement.
Corporate size.
As of 2003, SEK Studio employed over 1,500 people and subcontracted work for over 70 companies from around the globe, including Europe, South Korea, China, Canada and the United States. After the introduction of advanced equipment, the number of employees was reduced to about 500. There are 11 animation production teams in SEK Studio, 9 production teams are responsible for overseas animations subcontracting, and the 2 production teams produce domestic animations. According to Animation Career Review, SEK is the 85th most influential animation studio of all-time. SEK Studio's staff is mostly from Pyongyang Art Academy, and SEK Studio has established an animation training institute to teach young students.
In 2014, SEK Studio cooperated with Chinese companies to establish an office in Beijing. SEK Studio also invested $70,000 in Chinese companies. Most employees are in their twenties.
Filmography.
SEK has provided animation for the following works:
Television.
SEK Studio has produced over 300 Animations.
Animation services.
SEK Studio has done subcontracting work on over 250 foreign animations. They mainly work on subcontracting Russian, Italian, French, Spanish and Chinese animation. American animation is outsourced in an indirect way.
SEK has done work on several animated series with Mondo TV, including "Pocahontas: Princess of the American Indians" and "Simba the King Lion", (due to this two, it has been repeatedly misinformed that SEK has worked for The Walt Disney Company). SEK also has produced features such as the French science fiction epic "Gandahar" ("The Light Years") and "Empress Chung".
According to Cinemaweb, "The Simpsons Movie was the most prominent US project that SEK helped with", while other "projects" the studio was involved with were "Futurama: Bender’s Big Score and even an episode of ."
According to the Korean Film Council, SEK Studio outsourced episode 72 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series).
The list below is a part of the works outsourced by SEK studio.
In popular culture.
Canadian animator and cartoonist Guy Delisle documented his experiences whilst working at the SEK Studio in his graphic novel, "". because SEK studio subcontracted the Corto Maltese animation.