SEOUL - An unofficial website that allows South Koreans to check whether their ancestors were considered collaborators during Japan's colonial rule is rapidly gaining users, fueling online scrutiny of family histories and attacks on descendants even as public sentiment toward Japan has reached its highest level since surveys began.
"I was just relieved there were no pro-Japan collaborators in my family," one user wrote. Another said, "It was shocking to find out there was a pro-Japan collaborator among my ancestors."
The website, known as the Pro-Japan Scanner, allows users to enter a surname and the ancestral place of origin of their family to search for relatives who may have been linked either to collaboration with Japan or to Korea's independence movement.
The term "pro-Japan" in this context refers to people regarded as having cooperated with Japan's colonial rule of Korea.
The unofficial service draws on official government records and private databases, but the accuracy of its information is not guaranteed.
Use of the site surged after a controversy involving popular actor Ha-young, who said on a television program that he came from "a family of doctors spanning four generations."
The remark prompted online users to investigate his family background, leading to allegations that his great-grandfather had collaborated with Japanese colonial authorities.
Ha-young became the target of intense online criticism and eventually issued a handwritten apology. Advertisements in which he appeared were also taken down from public view.
The controversy has helped fuel a broader trend in which people are effectively conducting online "screenings" of one another's ancestors and directing criticism at their descendants.
"My grandfather's name appears on the pro-Japan side. What should I do?" one person wrote online.
Another responded, "You're the descendant of someone who sold out the country. Spend the rest of your life reflecting on it."
The increasingly hostile atmosphere contrasts with broader public attitudes toward Japan. A recent survey found that favorable sentiment toward Japan among South Koreans had reached the highest level since the survey began.
Opinion on the Pro-Japan Scanner itself is divided.
One supporter said the site was necessary. "I don't think it is a bad thing to think again about people who committed anti-national acts," the person said.
An opponent described the reaction toward descendants as excessive. "This is an excessive witch hunt targeting descendants. What we should be examining is the conduct of the people who committed anti-national acts," the person said.
The phenomenon has been likened to a form of collective punishment, in which descendants are criticized for the actions of their ancestors.
Popular culture critic Lee Moon-won said the trend reflects more than differences over historical interpretation.
"On social media, there are many cases in which people attack others while claiming to act in the name of social justice," Lee said. "They may feel a sense of satisfaction from bringing down someone with social status because it makes that person seem equal to themselves."
The spread of attacks that use historical issues to target individuals is highlighting a darker side of South Korea's increasingly heated online culture.
Source: TBS
