Lawyer Jeong Cheol-seung sued by Yoon Seo-in: "I thought he was a person without a sense of insult, but I was surprised"

Cartoonist Yoon Seo-in. Photo by Yoon Seo-in (Facebook capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] On the 21st, attorney Jeong Cheolseung, an advisor to the Liberation Association and a descendant of independence activists, commented on the lawsuit filed against him by cartoonist Yoon Seoin, who sparked controversy over "belittling independence activists," saying, "Given Yoon's behavior so far, I thought he was someone who felt no humiliation, so I was quite surprised."

In an interview with MBC Radio's "Kim Jongbae's Focus," Attorney Jeong said, "I heard that Yoon filed a lawsuit against me because I posted on Facebook describing him as a 'trivial person.'"

Attorney Jeong criticized, "(Yoon suing me) seems to be an attempt to show that he believes his actions were not wrong and to further amplify the controversy through such behavior. He has been doing this for nearly 10 years, always making money or increasing his notoriety through controversies. It is a very dangerous act."

He continued, "Through the lawsuit, he himself has shown that his claims of 'reflection' and 'mistake' were false," and pointed out, "If he felt that much humiliation, I hope he understands how much humiliation, anger, and hurt his actions caused to the descendants of independence activists."

Attorney Jeong explained that the Liberation Association will soon file a damages lawsuit against Yoon, stating, "We are preparing to proceed as quickly as possible with a claim for about 1 million won per person in damages from all 8,300 members of the Liberation Association as plaintiffs."

Meanwhile, on the 12th, Yoon posted a photo on his Facebook comparing the houses of pro-Japanese collaborators' descendants and independence activists' descendants, writing, "While the descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators live so diligently, what exactly have the descendants of independence activists done?" which sparked public outrage.

In the post, Yoon claimed, "If you look at the facts, even 100 years ago, the so-called pro-Japanese collaborators were hardworking people, and weren't the independence activists people who lived roughly?"

The post spread mainly through online communities and social networking services (SNS), leading to a flood of criticism against Yoon, and on the 14th, a petition was posted on the Blue House's national petition board requesting punishment for Yoon.

As the criticism grew, on the 18th, Yoon said, "The controversial post was a mistake because it was written too briefly," and apologized, saying, "I acknowledge and apologize for the lack of expression that caused misunderstanding and gave them an excuse."