Chun Woo-won, the grandson of former South Korean strongman Chun Doo-hwan, recently made headlines for an AI webtoon series that is widely thought to depict his own life and controversy-ridden family.
The series features a sheep named Mongeul as the main character, who appears to be based on a younger Chun Woo-won. Sharing the same birthday and family relations as Chun, Mongeul is depicted as a character who is intimidated by his surroundings and demanding father.
Mongeul's grandparents, thought to be based on Chun Doo-hwan and his wife Lee Soon-ja, are depicted in a demon-like fashion, residing in a castle and refusing their daughter-in-law's pleas to save her marriage. Local media reports have described Chun Doo-hwan as a strict and authoritative grandfather who sometimes even used physical violence for discipline.
One episode of the cartoon begins with a young Mongeul in the back seat of a car, feeling carsick. After getting out of the car, he asks his grandfather if they can take a break. His grandfather immediately berates and punches him, saying, “How dare you complain!” Mongeul is then dragged away by security guards, and he thinks, “I’m not loved here either.”
In another episode, Mongeul says his mom's crying "became part of life," as he and his mother are depicted as victims of his father's affairs.
Chun Woo-won's father, Chun Jae-yong, allegedly had an affair with actor Park Sang-ah before his marriage with Woo-won's mother — his second wife — had ended.
Chun Jae-yong's controversial third marriage made news across the country in the early 2000s and was depicted as a hellish experience for the young Chun Woo-won. In the AI-generated webtoon, Mongeul is bullied at school by those who read the news, and he is harassed by reporters knocking on the door day and night for comments.
In the webtoon, Mongeul's life in the US was no picnic, either. His lack of understanding of the language and culture made him a target of further bullying. "Being in isolation was no longer part of my character; it became a precondition for me," Mongeul says.
Despite having difficulty at school, Mongeul's teachers are seen doing all his homework and giving him all the answers for tests. If the story indeed depicts Chun Woo-won's own life, the teachers are thought to have acted this way due to Chun Doo-hwan's substantial influence as a former president and his concealed illegitimate wealth.
Mongeul is not only depicted as a victim. In the second episode, a figure appearing to be Jesus shows Mongeul his true self, telling him, "You have always thought of yourself as the victim. But you should never forget that you also hurt many people."
This appears to link to Chun Woo-won's own actions in 2023, when he openly admitted to being a drug user in a livestream and came back to Korea to receive legal punishment. He received a suspended prison term for drug use, which was confirmed in 2024.
Chun Woo-won is also known for openly speaking about the illegal actions of his entire family and his acquaintances. He made a public apology for his grandfather's role in the bloody crackdown of the May 18 Pro-democracy Movement in 1980, which is thought to have left hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians dead.
It is unclear whether the webtoon is a depiction of Chun Woo-won’s own life or how much of the webtoon is based on real-life events. Still, it has drawn considerable attention in Korea for its contents, which are consistent with many details reported on the former dictator’s family.
The AI-generated webtoon can be viewed on Instagram at @dnltjswk12. The username spells “wiseonja" (hypocrite) when typing the same keys with the keyboard set to Korean.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
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