Cartoonist Yoon Seo-in sparks backlash defending actress Oh Ha-young

The dispute surrounding the controversy over actress Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities is intensifying. This time, cartoonist Yoon Seo-in has actively defended Oh, defining the public's historical criticism as 'relative deprivation' and using unfiltered, provocative language.

Recently, via SNS, Yoon posted a message to the effect of, "I am sorry, but I don't care at all," regarding those questioning whether his defense of Oh would be "effective or counterproductive." He emphasized that his primary concern is the claim that the very act of "obsessing over pro-Japanese collaborators" holds no positive meaning in 2026.

He also argued that there is no issue with Oh publicly mentioning her own family history.

Yoon claimed that "those who say it is a problem because Oh Ha-young boasted about herself are actually people with a sense of relative deprivation as wicked as any anti-Japanese extremist." He further questioned, "Is this a sane society where a person is nationally mobbed just because they said their family is well-off and they have five refrigerators at home?"

The intensity of his remarks escalated further.

He continued with comments such as, "Are you dying of jealousy because a pretty girl is a good actress and comes from a wealthy family?" while sarcastically suggesting that the criticism toward Oh is a form of "mob justice using a pro-Japanese grandfather as a pretext." He even used blunt expressions, telling people to "gather in a crowd with bamboo spears to resolve your relative deprivation."\

From the early stages of the controversy, Yoon had shown a protective stance toward Oh, sharing articles related to her with comments to the effect of "I feel sorry for Oh Ha-young."

However, counterarguments against Yoon's claims are equally strong.

The core of this controversy is not the fact that Oh's family is wealthy or a family of doctors. Nor is it about holding Oh personally responsible for the historical actions of her great-grandfather. The debate stems from the fact that the family history, which was proudly introduced on a broadcast, was subsequently verified to include the pro-Japanese activities of the individual in question.

On the 7th, Oh appeared on KBS 2TV's "Problem Child in House" and introduced her family as one that has followed the path of doctors for four generations, from her great-grandfather to her grandfather, father, and sister.

In particular, she explained a family anecdote where her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan, returned to Korea, opened a hospital in Hanyang, and treated Gojong. At the time, it was presented as an anecdote demonstrating the family's expertise, but the situation changed after the broadcast when claims were raised that her great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, a figure with recorded pro-Japanese activities during the Japanese colonial period.

As the controversy grew, Oh's agency initially and firmly denied the allegations as "groundless." However, after further verification, they revised their position, stating they had confirmed that Ahn Sang-ho was listed on the roster of councilors for the Daejeong Chinmokhoe in 1916.

The agency stated, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding that it was 'groundless' without sufficient verification."\

The Daejeong Chinmokhoe is known to have been a pro-Japanese organization during the Japanese colonial period, with representative pro-Japanese figures such as Lee Wan-yong and Song Byeong-jun serving as members.

At this point, Yoon's logic can be criticized for shifting the essence of the controversy. The claim that Oh is being criticized "because she is pretty, a good actress, and comes from a good family" fails to address the historical issue at hand. The verification of historical facts regarding a family history must be handled independently of the family's economic background, appearance, or professional success.

Of course, there is a need to be wary of the guilt-by-association mindset that passes the actions of ancestors down to descendants. Oh is not directly responsible for her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese actions, and it is difficult to justify criticizing her simply because she is a descendant.

However, the claim "let's not hold descendants responsible" and the claim "criticizing the pro-Japanese actions of ancestors is a futile endeavor" are entirely different propositions.

One must distinguish between recording and evaluating historical facts and punishing a living individual for their lineage. The former is a matter of historical memory, while the latter is a matter of individual responsibility and rights.

Furthermore, Oh's side did not treat this as a simple family matter. Her agency corrected its initial stance, and Oh herself issued a handwritten apology, expressing regret for not sufficiently verifying the historical facts and noting she had only known fragmentary details of her great-grandfather's life.

Therefore, what is required is neither unconditional condemnation of Oh nor the mockery of historical criticism. It is about accurately recording verified facts and observing how Oh conducts herself after learning the truth.

Yoon's harsh language tends to blur these distinct issues into a single partisan argument. While attacking an individual solely for being a "descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator" is unjust, historical criticism of pro-Japanese activities cannot be dismissed as mere "inferiority complex" or "relative deprivation."\

As Liberation Day approaches, provocative language like "bamboo spears" and "mob justice" is not what is needed. The goal should be to evaluate the actions of ancestors strictly based on historical facts, while judging the responsibility of descendants based on their own actions—distinguishing the past from the present without forgetting it.