"I Am a Descendant of a Pro-Japanese Collaborator": Singer Jeon Beom-sun's Direct Confession

Jeon Beom-sun, the vocalist of the band Yangbandeul who majored in history at Oxford University Graduate School.

Amid recent controversies surrounding actor Hayoung's great-grandfather, family history confessed by Jeon Beom-sun in April on the YouTube podcast MP (Museum Pi) is drawing attention once again.

Jeon Beom-sun revealed at the time that his great-great-great-grandfather was Lee In-jik, known in Korean language textbooks as the author of Korea's "first modern novel."

Lee In-jik served as an interpreter for Lee Wan-yong during the Eulsa Treaty and also worked as an interpreter for the Japanese military during the First Sino-Japanese War.

He is a figure whose name is listed in both the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators and the Official List of Pro-Japanese Anti-Nationalist Collaborators.

Jeon Beom-sun stated that he did not know this fact until he reached adulthood.

"I am a descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator, that thing I only heard about in words... It was such a shock."

He subsequently sought out and read all of Lee In-jik's novels.

While he sympathized with critical issues such as the abolition of the traditional class system and women's liberation, he drew a clear line regarding the pro-Japanese activities, stating they were "unmistakable."

"By dealing with my grandfather, I wanted to try healing myself."

Reactions praising his courage followed the video containing his candid confession, and Jeon Beom-sun even published a book in March titled "Jeon Beom-sun's Korean History Therapy" incorporating this experience.

On the other hand, actor Hayoung is facing heavy criticism for taking the exact opposite approach.

Controversy has grown after records surfaced showing that Hayoung's great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho, whom she proudly introduced on a recent variety show as possessing a "doctor's DNA," was a council member of the Daejeong Chinmokhoe, a pro-Japanese organization during the Japanese colonial period, and that her family was even introduced as a model case for assimilation policies in the Government-General of Chosen's official organ.

Scheduled interviews were canceled, and even the VOD rerun service for the broadcast was suspended.

The two individuals faced the same family history, but their responses diverged.

Critics point out that the crucial difference was whether there was an effort to face the ancestors' past as it is, without glorifying it.

Reported by Kang Kyung-youn | Video by Yonghee Jung | Graphics by Hae-min Yang | Produced by SBS Digital News | Video Source: YouTube Channel MP (Museum Pi)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.