Jeon Woo-won, grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan who received a suspended prison sentence for habitual drug use, is drawing renewed attention after releasing an AI-generated webtoon depicting his childhood and family history. Jeon has been serializing the webtoon on Instagram since early this month.
Jeon posted his first installment on January 4 with a brief caption saying "I think I've lost my mind." The webtoon's protagonist "Monggeulie" is a young lamb character that appears to represent Jeon himself. Despite its cute and simple art style, the narrative contains heavy themes including domestic violence, neglect, illness, school bullying, and isolation during his time studying abroad.
In the work, Monggeulie's mother is depicted as a gentle lamb, while the grandparents, father, and stepmother are all portrayed as "black sheep." The grandparents in particular are drawn with red eyes, appearing as intimidating figures. Jeon appears to have symbolized his biological mother Choi Jung-ae as the gentle lamb, while representing the late President Chun Doo-hwan, the late Lee Soon-ja, his father Jeon Jae-yong, and stepmother Park Sang-ah as black sheep.
The story begins with scenes showing how the mother's crying became routine after Monggeulie was born. Monggeulie's father watches TV before bed and says "Hey, Monggeulie. Aren't those women so pretty?" before leaving the house. Scenes suggesting an affair follow, including one where the other woman tells the mother, "Stop bothering your husband and back off!"
After the maternal grandfather's death, the mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and cervical cancer, spending extended time in hospitals. Monggeulie is left with caretakers who change every year, and scenes depicting abuse by a family driver are also included.
The webtoon also contains memories from the grandfather's residence, described as a "giant castle." Monggeulie claims he faced "judgment" there every Sunday, was locked in a bathroom for not finishing his food, and was beaten by someone presumed to be the former president after asking to rest at a service station due to motion sickness during a long trip.
After traveling to the United States to see his father, Monggeulie discovers his father with the affair partner and learns of the remarriage. "My world completely collapsed at that moment," he confesses in this scene.
Fleeing abroad to study, Monggeulie faced bullying and violence due to language and cultural barriers. He also raises allegations that his father bribed a study abroad agency to fraudulently gain him admission to school. While searching for news about his family, Monggeulie encounters his grandfather's past atrocities and confesses to wondering, "Could people be bullying me because of my grandfather?" Claims of being driven out by his stepmother are also included in the webtoon.
The work features a "demon tribe" character representing another aspect of Monggeulie's inner self, guiding memories and emotions. The currently released content covers up to his study abroad period, with each episode ending with "TO BE CONTINUED."
Jeon previously attracted public attention by disclosing his drug use and exposing issues related to the Chun Doo-hwan family. In 2023, he visited Gwangju and expressed his apology to victims and bereaved families of the May 18 Democratic Uprising.
As Jeon's webtoon serialization continues, online reactions include comments such as "You can feel how harsh his family environment was," "This is not a story to laugh off," and "He must have suffered greatly before being able to express this."
