Yoon Seo-in, Who Made Derogatory Remarks About Independence Activists, Sues Lawyer Who Called Him 'Insignificant' for 'Defamation'

Photo by Yoon Seo-in, captured from Facebook

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Cartoonist Yoon Seo-in, who has been embroiled in controversy for allegedly disparaging independence activists and their descendants, filed a lawsuit on the 19th against lawyer Jeong Cheol-seung, who called him a 'trivial person.'

On the same day, Yoon wrote on his Facebook, "I have filed a lawsuit against lawyer Jeong Cheol-seung, who is suing me on behalf of the Liberation Association," adding, "The charges are insult, defamation, and intimidation."

Yoon continued, "Lawyer Jeong Cheol-seung called me a 'trivial person' today and wrote that he would assign the lawsuit against Yoon Seo-in as training for his law firm's new lawyers," and said, "Jeong threatened my personal safety with harsh words such as 'I will seriously grind you down' and 'I will impose a financial death penalty on you.'"

Yoon said, "Which words are more insulting and worse, the things lawyer Jeong Cheol-seung is saying about me now or the things I said (about independence activists and their descendants)?" and added, "Please check the detailed content during your investigation." He also said, "You said you are reviewing a lawsuit against me, but I feel like I cut in line by suing first," and added, "Don't lose later and then say you lost because you used new lawyers; file this lawsuit yourself directly."

The post that Yoon Seo-in had uploaded is currently deleted. Photo by Facebook capture

Earlier, on the 12th, Yoon posted on his Facebook a photo comparing the houses of descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators and independence activists, writing, "While the descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators live so diligently, what on earth have the descendants of independence activists done? If you look at the facts, weren't the so-called pro-Japanese collaborators people who lived diligently even 100 years ago, and weren't the independence activists people who lived roughly?" This sparked controversy.

Following this, criticism of Yoon poured in on various social networking services (SNS), and a petition demanding punishment for Yoon was posted on the Blue House's National Petition Board. The Liberation Association, a group of independence activists' descendants, also announced its intention to take legal action. Kim Won-woong, president of the Liberation Association, said on the CBS radio program 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 18th that they would file a lawsuit demanding tens of billions of won in damages from Yoon.

Photo by Jeong Cheol-seung, captured from lawyer's Facebook

In response, lawyer Jeong posted on his Facebook on the 15th targeting Yoon, saying, "I received a request to review legal action against Yoon Seo-in," and wrote, "Shall we give this despicable guy a good scolding?"

On the 19th, Jeong also said, "Last night, I posted that I would consistently punish Yoon Seo-in, who insulted independence activists some time ago, for about 20 to 30 years until he is ruined, but some people subtly discouraged me, asking if such a trivial matter is worth such effort," adding, "I appreciate your concern, but just because it is against a trivial person does not necessarily mean it is a trivial matter, and I only said I would consistently punish him, not that I would do it myself, so there is no need to discourage me."

He then explained, "There is a sociological theory called the 'Broken Windows Theory,' which states that if a broken window in a house is left unattended, eventually the house will be burglarized," and added, "If the reckless behavior of trivial people is left unchecked, the sound values and morals of society will be distorted and collapse, turning it into a lawless land in no time."