Joo Ho-min "Cheonanham is North Korea's act... I was wrong" Apologizes for Human Torpedo Theory Illustration

Webtoon artist Ju Homin. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Ju-hee] Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min apologized after 9 years for drawing a caricature of the 2011 Cheonan ship sinking incident.

On the 19th, in a video titled "Apology" uploaded to his YouTube channel, he said, "At a time when various theories were rampant, as a reader of Ddanzi Ilbo, I worked on caricaturing the opposing side's opinions," adding, "As a result, (the Cheonan ship sinking) was indeed done by North Korea. I was wrong."

Previously, Joo Ho-min was criticized for caricaturing the Cheonan ship sinking incident by drawing a person in a black wetsuit boarding a torpedo reminiscent of the North Korean flag in an illustration published in the April 2012 issue of the 'Gaka Tribute Calendar' released by Ddanzi Ilbo.

Joo Ho-min explained, "About 10 years ago, I drew the Cheonan ship picture for the Ddanzi Ilbo calendar, but at that time, no conclusion had been reached and opinions were sharply divided," adding, "Amidst various rampant theories, I ended up caricaturing the opposing side's opinions."

He continued, "There was a popular human torpedo theory at the time, so I drew that, but as a result, (the Cheonan ship sinking) was indeed done by North Korea. I was completely wrong," and said, "I have nothing to say but a big apology on that point. I am sorry."

Joo Ho-min also apologized for his recent remarks defending famous webtoon artists like Kian84, who sparked controversy over 'misogyny,' saying, "In the past, censorship was done by the state, but now it is done by citizens. The era of citizen dictatorship has begun," stating, "My choice of words was not careful."

He said, "There are obviously many wrong things I said in the past. I made many mistakes," adding, "Looking back now, there are many absurd things. There are many things I wonder 'why did I do that.' Since I cannot turn back, I know my mistakes and just live with them. I hope people will forgive me generously."

Joo Ho-min is a famous star webtoon artist known as the original creator of the movie 'Along with the Gods,' which surpassed 10 million viewers. He debuted in 2005 with the webtoon 'Jjam' and serialized works such as 'Infinite Power' and 'Bingtanghuru.'