Author sharply criticizes extremists on Facebook, says they are 'social losers' who pose no real threat
![Writer So Jae-won. [Photo by Lee Sang-sub/babtong@]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/10/9/news-p.v1.20241118.d5b667ad9e074454b2f29c005651e416_P1.jpg)
Novelist So Jae-won, 43, has compared far-right extremists to convicted child sex offender Cho Doo-soon, calling them "criminals like Cho Doo-soon."
So shared the remarks on his social media Tuesday, writing that he had just come out of a meeting with a company that holds the rights to his work. He said the person in charge had immediately asked him to stop posting content that could provoke far-right groups and Ilbe — short for Ilgan Best, a South Korean online community associated with far-right and misogynistic content.
The representative appeared concerned that such posts could hurt the commercial performance of So's work.
So said he reassured the representative, asking whether those users "read books, watch films, or watch drama series," and arguing they were incapable of following a story with a proper narrative arc. "They are nothing but social losers who cannot deal us even a speck of damage in our daily lives," he said. "There is no need to feel afraid."
So also told the representative that he speaks for the vulnerable and for ordinary people, and said his firm stance against those who treat sex crimes, hatred, lies and violence as acceptable was well known. He said such people were not simply on a different point on the political spectrum. "They are people who treat crime lightly, wielding ignorance as a weapon," he said. "They are not ordinary people like us — they are criminals like Cho Doo-soon."
In a separate post the same day, So shared a news article reporting that singer Lee Seung-hwan had filed a 50 million won (about $32,900) lawsuit against cartoonist Yoon Seo-in over insulting remarks. "Very welcome news," So wrote. "Brother Seung-hwan! You have my full support!"
So added that far-right and Ilbe users had long mocked and insulted him over his divorce, even coming to his social media pages to publicly humiliate him, his children and their mother. "I have been steadily collecting the evidence," he said.
He explained that he had been patiently gathering proof in order to file a single comprehensive complaint. "Lee Seung-hwan's lawsuit is something I can only be grateful for, because a victory would set a legal precedent," he said.
So added that the case was virtually identical to the complaint he had been preparing. "I absolutely hope Lee Seung-hwan wins," he said, "because the case Yoon Seo-in has set in motion could become a valuable precedent for punishing far-right and Ilbe users."
Lee's legal representatives at law firm Haemaru said Monday that Lee had filed a lawsuit against Yoon at the Seoul Central District Court, seeking 50 million won in damages for insulting remarks. The firm said Lee was claiming the amount as compensation for the offense.
Yoon had shared a post on his social media in which Lee certified his early voting participation, and added comments calling Lee "an agitator who never managed to build a family, got dumped through divorce, and is lost in political delusions," and "still saying strange things at 60 — it's pitiful."
Even after Lee announced he would take legal action, Yoon responded in the form of what he called an apology. On the remark about Lee being "dumped through divorce," Yoon wrote: "It is a widely known fact, but I am sorry for bringing it up unnecessarily." On calling Lee "an agitator lost in political delusions," he wrote: "I am not sure whether this counts as an insult or defamation of character, but I apologize either way."
Haemaru said the remarks went beyond criticism of political views and amounted to insulting and contemptuous personal attacks. The firm argued the posts also contained degrading references to Lee's private life unrelated to any broader context, and that their publication on social media visible to an unlimited audience made them particularly egregious. "Lee Seung-hwan respects freedom of expression, but he believes that indiscriminate and unlimited insults are chilling public discourse in our society," the firm said. "This lawsuit was filed to establish that insults with a clear intent to degrade — such as Yoon Seo-in's remarks — are illegal."
jshan@heraldcorp.com
