Viral obituary of cartoonist Huh Young-man was about a namesake, Newsis reports
In short
An online post announcing the death of "cartoonist Huh Young-man" spread on X and online communities on 7 October, leading some users to believe the creator of Sikgaek (식객) and Tazza (타짜) had died. Newsis reported on 8 October that the obituary was reported to concern a different person with the same name.
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An obituary for "cartoonist Huh Young-man" spread online on 7 October and caused confusion about whether the cartoonist Huh Young-man (허영만) had died, Newsis reported on 8 October. According to the report, a post titled "Obituary: cartoonist Huh Young-man passes away" circulated on the social media platform X and in online communities. The post mourned the deceased and included a message said to have been written by the deceased's daughter, expressing her feelings for her father. Because the post combined the name Huh Young-man with the word "cartoonist", some users concluded that the artist known for Sikgaek (식객) and Tazza (타짜) had died. As the post was shared quickly, confusion spread online about whether he had died. [ 3 ]
Newsis reported that the obituary was in fact about a different person with the same name, and described the episode as a misunderstanding that spread online because of a shared name. The outlet did not identify the person named in the obituary. Newsis added that Huh was treated in hospital after a fall in June. At that time his side said he was suspending public activities to focus on treatment and recovery for health reasons. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
Newsis described the episode as a misunderstanding that spread online because two people share a name, leading some users to believe a well-known cartoonist had died. The report also noted that Huh has been out of public activities since a fall in June.
Key facts
- A post titled "Obituary: cartoonist Huh Young-man passes away" spread on X and online communities on 7 October. [ 3 ]
- Some users took the post to mean that Huh Young-man (허영만), the cartoonist known for Sikgaek (식객) and Tazza (타짜), had died. [ 3 ]
- The post was shared quickly, causing confusion online over whether Huh had died. [ 3 ]
- According to Newsis, the obituary was reported to concern a different person with the same name, not Huh. [ 3 ]
- Huh was treated in hospital after a fall in June, and his side then said he was suspending public activities to focus on treatment and recovery. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Nothing is confirmed by two independent outlets yet.
Still unclear
- Who the person named in the obituary was. Newsis says only that the obituary concerned a person with the same name and does not identify them further.
- Whether Huh or his representatives commented on the false reports. The Newsis report does not quote Huh or his side on the obituary.
- Huh's current state of health. The only health information given is about the fall in June and the treatment that followed.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- On 8 October Newsis reports that the obituary that spread online the day before concerned a namesake, not cartoonist Huh Young-man. [ 3 ]