Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Actor Ha Young apologizes over great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities
Ha Young speaks during a press conference for Netflix series “Our Sticky Love” in Seoul, Aug. 5. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
Actor Ha Young issued a public apology following mounting controversy over her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities during colonial rule, which lasted from 1910-45.
On Tuesday, her agency Bistus Entertainment released a statement on behalf of the actor, whose real name is Ahn Ha-young, expressing deep regret for her initial denial and previous on-air remarks about her family.
"Regarding our earlier statement claiming the allegations were 'groundless,' secondary verification confirmed that the name of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, does indeed appear on the 1916 counselor roster of the Daejeong Friendship Association," the agency said.
"Ha Young has a heavy heart from unintentionally causing controversy, and we sincerely apologize for causing confusion by dismissing the claims without a thorough investigation."
The controversy erupted after Ha appeared on a KBS talk show on Aug. 7, where she spoke proudly of her family's background in the medical field. During the show, she said her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan, opened the nation’s first private Western clinic in Seoul and treated Emperor Gojong (1852-1919).
Internet users quickly identified her great-grandfather as Ahn Sang-ho, who in 1902 became the first Korean to get a Japanese medical license, and brought up his pro-Japanese activities.
According to a December 1918 article in Maeil Sinbo, the official newspaper of the Japanese colonial government in Korea, Ahn was quoted as saying that his household was "completely assimilated," wearing Japanese clothes, marrying a Japanese woman and prohibiting the Korean language at home. The Japanese government actively used him as a model case for its colonial policies.
Records also showed Ahn was involved with the Daejeong Friendship Association, a business organization founded in 1916 by Japanese collaborators such as Lee Wan-yong and Song Byeong-jun.
The criticism also spread to her late grandfather, Ahn Boo-ho, a former medical professor who worked at Sorokdo National Hospital in the late 1940s and early 1950s. During the period, there were serious human rights abuses of Hansen's disease patients, although there is no evidence that he was directly involved.
"Both the agency and Ha Young deeply realize how important verification processes are when sharing historical facts with the public," Bistus Entertainment added. "She will approach her career with a humbler, more cautious attitude from now on.”
Ha made her debut in the 2019 drama "Dr. Prisoner" and gained recognition through her work in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." She recently starred in the 2025 Netflix series "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" and currently appears in the Netflix series “Our Sticky Love” with actor Jung Hae-in.