Cartoonist Heo Young-man. [Provided by Heo Young-man Co.]
Cartoonist Heo Young-man. [Provided by Heo Young-man Co.]

A false death notice for cartoonist Heo Young-man sent social media into an uproar Thursday.

Posts bearing the headline "Obituary: Cartoonist Heo Young-man passes away" spread across X, Threads and other platforms Thursday.

The post read, "To those who loved my father," and stated that "Dad has set off on a long journey" — phrasing that could easily be mistaken for a message from Heo's daughter.

The notice was false. The post was an obituary for an entirely different person, and its misidentification as Heo's death notice caused widespread confusion online.

Neither Heo's own social media accounts nor his daughter's showed any unusual posts.

Heo was injured in a fall in June and was hospitalized in intensive care. As a result, "Sikgaek Heo Young-man's Baekban Giyaeng," a travel-dining show that had aired on TV Chosun since 2019, concluded with its first season.

An update on Heo's condition had been shared via social media in August, when his representatives commented that "Heo Young-man is slowly recovering his health at the hospital."

Choi Guk-hee, director of the film "Tajja: Beljebub's Song," said at the time of the film's release last month that Heo "is in the hospital and has not been able to see the film yet," adding, "Still, he has recovered considerably, so I think he will get to see it soon."


min3654@heraldcorp.com