Heavenly Executioner Chiwoo is a manhwa

Manhwa

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...

 created by Park KangHo and Lee HaNa

Lee Hana

Lee Hana is a South Korean actress who made her debut in 2006 with SBS drama Alone in Love. She appeared in a commercial for KTF in 2005. Her father is Lee Dae-Hun, a well-known composer. She also studied music in university....

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In the United States iceKunion

ICEkunion

ICEkunion published South Korean manhwa comics in the United States. The firm's industry experience come from Studio ICE. Titles were licensed from manhwa publishing companies that originally sold them in The Republic of Korea in the Korean language...

 originally licensed the series; Yen Press

Yen Press

Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...

 later took the license. In the U.S. Volume 1 was released in November 2005, Volume 2 in February 2006, Volume 3 in May 2006, Volume 4 in May 2008, and Volume 5 in September 2008. Volume 5 is the final volume, but it does not conclude the story line.

The series stars Chiwoo, who discovers that his father was a mangnani, an executioner in ancient Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

. An emperor's army attempts to wipe out all mangnanies. After Chiwoo sees Uncle Wolbak attacked by soldiers, Chiwoo becomes a mangnani.