Writer and Yangban Band vocalist Jeon Beom-sun revealed his family history as a descendant of the pro-Japanese collaborator Lee In-jik.

Appearing on the Liberation Day special of the YouTube channel "Choi Wook's Maebul Show" on the 13th, Jeon revealed that he is a fifth-generation descendant of Lee In-jik, the author of the early modern Korean novel Tearful Blood and an interpreter at the scene of the Eulsa Treaty.

He emphasized that while majoring in history at Dartmouth College in the United States, he learned about Homer Hulbert, a Korean independence activist who was an alumnus of the same university, which led him to participate in the Hulbert Memorial Society. Homer Hulbert worked as an English instructor at a school in Joseon and published Samin Pilji, the first textbook written entirely in Hangul.

Jeon shared that he first heard the family secret from his mother while carrying out these activities. He described the shock at the time, saying, "My mother suddenly opened the door and came in, saying, 'I know you're studying history and commemorating the independence movement, but you should at least know your own background before doing so,' and told me that I am a descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator. My mother said, 'He wasn't just any pro-Japanese collaborator, he was a major one.'"

Regarding Lee In-jik's subsequent actions, Jeon added, "He married a Japanese woman, received a peerage in Japan, converted his religion, and practically abandoned not only his country but our family as well. We never enjoyed any benefits from him. Knowing that our grandfather was such a person, my family never spoke of this out of shame all their lives. Rather than feeling resentment, I just felt that they could have told me about it beforehand."

Host Choi Wook expressed amazement, saying, "It is an irony of history that you met Hulbert first and then Lee In-jik later."

Jeon connected his experience serving in KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) to Lee In-jik's background as an interpreter. He said, "While interpreting between U.S. and South Korean military officers, an unintended power emerged at certain moments. Depending on how I conveyed the words, I could rest a bit more or get extra leave. I felt that blood runs thicker than water."

Noting that Lee In-jik went to study in Japan at the late age of 40, mastered Japanese, and stood out as a Japanese military interpreter during the Russo-Japanese War before catching the eye of Yi Wan-yong, Jeon pointed out, "He must have tasted power from that point on."

He also expressed mixed emotions by noting that Lee In-jik's novels contained enlightenment thoughts, such as the abolition of the social class system and women's liberation.

Jeon added, "Many pro-Japanese collaborators actually had a strong desire to reform Joseon, so they advocated enlightenment thoughts and ended up turning pro-Japanese. Of course, many acted opportunistically for personal glory, and there were also many cases where the two were mixed. We must admit when something is wrong, but I keep finding myself wanting to understand such people."

Meanwhile, Jeon published the popular history book Korean History Therapy last March.

 

(Photo courtesy of SBS Entertainment News, reported by Kang Kyung-yoon)