“Man from the Stars” Accused of Plagiarism by Popular Cartoonist

Popular cartoonist Kang Kyung Ok posed suspicion towards SBS’s “Man from the Stars” claiming the drama plagiarized one of her cartoons titled “Seolhee.”  

On December 20, Kang Kyung Ok posted an entry on her blog titled, “What is happening?”

Kang Kyung Ok’s “Seolhee” is set during the war and is about a normal girl becoming an heiress to a vast amount of fortune. The story involves a plot surrounding fortune, the unsolvable secret of Alyssa, and the connection of her previous life she sees in her dreams. It is a piece that combines many genres including fantasy, science-fiction, and romance.

According to Kang Kyung Ok’s explanation, “Seolhee” is an event that took place 400 years ago during the time of Prince Gwanghae of the Joseon Dynasty. The main character is treated by aliens to maintain a young image forever. She lives over 400 years, and returns to Korea to reunite with a person who looks exactly like someone who helped her during her childhood.

In connection to this, Kim Kyun Ok wrote, “Anyone can make references to the same time period, but the story of a person who does not grow old for 400 years living in modern times and dealing with his fate is much too similar to my ‘Seolhee.’”

She added, “The reference to a UFO from 400 years ago have been used in other pieces like ‘The Joseon X-Files,’ and I think it could be interpreted in different ways since it is a true story. However, the setting in the drama is very similar with the exception that the male and female characters have been switched. There are only minor differences in the order of how things are revealed throughout the story.”

She also claimed, “’Seolhee’ is currently an on-going series; I feel uncomfortable about what the viewers think about this issue. I’ve received inquires about making the piece into a drama before, but it was postponed to a later time because it is incomplete.”

Kang Kyung Ok concluded her blog post by writing, “I do not believe it is right for me to stay silent about this matter especially towards my readers and for all the effort I put into creating ‘Seolhee.’”

Currently there are nine volumes of Kang Kyung Ok’s “Seolhee,” and it is still on-going.