Actress Ha-young recently mentioned coming from a "four-generation family of doctors" on a broadcast, which sparked online speculation about her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese collaboration.

As the controversy grew, her agency Beasters Entertainment acknowledged on the 10th that "Ha-young's great-grandfather is indeed Ahn Sang-ho," but dismissed the pro-Japanese allegations as groundless. However, just one day later on the 11th, the agency retracted its previous statement and apologized, saying, "Upon further verification, we confirmed that a record exists showing his name on the 1916 list of council members of the pro-Japanese organization Daejeong Chimmokhoe."

The agency added, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by responding hastily without sufficient verification. Through this incident, we have deeply realized how careful verification is required when conveying historical facts and an individual's career to the public." Ha-young herself reportedly feels heavy-hearted and stated that she will approach matters with greater caution and humility going forward.

Great-Grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's Activities

The late Ahn Sang-ho, Ha-young's great-grandfather, graduated from the Jikei Medical School in Tokyo, Japan in 1902 and became the first Korean to obtain a Japanese medical license. After returning to Korea in 1904, he served as the royal physician to Emperor Sunjong and as a commissioned doctor for the Imperial Household Office, and opened the first Western-style medical clinic in Hanyang.

In November 1916, his name appeared on the council member list of the pro-Japanese organization Daejeong Chimmokhoe, led by Min Yeong-gi and others. He was also introduced in the Maeil Sinbo, the official newspaper of the Japanese Governor-General of Korea, as a "model example of Japan-Korea integration." In an interview with Maeil Sinbo on December 10, 1918, he stated, "I am like a Japanese person — I wear Japanese clothing and my wife is a Japanese woman. Our household rules and diet are all in Japanese style. Unlike Korean people, we do not even own a single durumagi (traditional overcoat)."

However, no evidence has been found that the late Ahn Sang-ho engaged in leading pro-Japanese activities such as obstructing the independence movement, and his name is not included in the "Pro-Japanese Biographical Dictionary" published by the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities.

Grandfather Professor Ahn Bu-ho's Tenure at Sorokdo Hospital

The late Ahn Bu-ho, a chief professor at the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine and Ha-young's grandfather, was confirmed to have worked on leprosy research at the National Sorokdo Hospital from 1949 to 1954. During the tenure of hospital director Kim Sang-tae from 1948 to 1954, Sorokdo Hospital performed sterilization surgeries on 1,191 leprosy patients. The hospital was also embroiled in human rights violation controversies, including a policy permitting cohabitation, experiments involving inserting needles into patients' chests to detect leprosy bacteria from bone marrow, autopsies, forced isolation, and abortions and sterilization procedures. However, no documents have been found indicating that the late Professor Ahn Bu-ho was directly involved in these practices.

What Are Ha-young's Official Schedule Plans?

Ha-young is scheduled to participate in an interview with reporters on the 14th to promote the Netflix series "Such a Damn Love." As this will be her first official appearance since the controversy over her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese collaboration, attention is focused on what position Ha-young herself will express.