Singer (band Yangbandle) and writer Jeon Beom-seon, who drew attention by confessing he is a descendant of pro-Japanese collaborators, once again draws attention by revealing his family history.
On the 13th, Jeon Beom-seon appeared on the YouTube channel 'MaeBulShow' and disclosed the process by which he learned he was a descendant of pro-Japanese collaborators and decided to make it public.
With the recent controversy in the entertainment industry about 'descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators' growing, Jeon, who published a book on March 1, said he had been booked for this program in advance. It was perfect timing. Regarding his confession as a descendant of pro-Japanese collaborators, Jeon said, "I was once on a close acquaintance's YouTube channel and spoke casually, and it came out that way. I didn't know it would become an article."
He said about himself, "I naturally thought I would become a lawyer and did music as a hobby. But there is entertainer blood on my mother's side. Coincidentally, the album I made while studying in Oxford matched the Candlelight Revolution in 2016 and became well known in Gwanghwamun. Music seemed more fun and meaningful, so I canceled law school. Since then my life changed a lot."
Asked, "If you were served as a descendant of pro-Japanese collaborators, why are you yourself a descendant?" he said, "I was born that way. I didn't know at all when I was young. I became interested in history from high school." He was born in Gangwon Province, graduated from the Korea Military Academy? (Note: 민족사관고등학교 is Minjok Leadership Academy) and studied history at Dartmouth College in the United States. He then studied history at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and was admitted to Columbia University Law School. While studying abroad he was moved by the life of Homer Hulbert, who contributed to Korea's modernization and the anti-Japanese movement, and researched him deeply. After returning to Korea, he also worked as an intern at Korea's 'Hulbert Foundation'.
Seeing this, his mother told her son Jeon Beom-seon, "I understand you are studying history, but know your family background before doing that. Do you know what kind of family you come from?" Jeon said, "My mother told me we are descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators. When I asked what she meant, my mother said your ancestor is Lee In-jik."
Jeon continued, "I knew Lee In-jik as a stylish enlightenment-era writer who wrote works such as 'Bloodshed', and I didn't know he was a pro-Japanese collaborator. My mother explained, 'Not just a pro-Japanese collaborator but an extraordinary one. It's all registered and he was interpreter for Yi Wan-yong.'" In other words, Lee In-jik is Jeon's great-great-great-grandfather, his maternal grandmother's great-grandfather.
Jeon also said, "Lee In-jik remarried a Japanese woman and completely abandoned this country and the family." In other words, Jeon's ancestor's first wife's family was abandoned.
His mother grew up so ashamed that she could not speak of this story. Jeon said, "It was a trauma for me, and I am grateful to my mother for telling me. I also thought about how much she must have suffered, and it was complicated," and he said he made efforts to overcome the trauma by researching history not covered in school textbooks and writing history books.
[Photo] Video capture
[OSEN]