'Controversy over descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators': Ha Young cancels interview as well... 'Such a ridiculous love' promotion delayed [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

As controversy over the pro-Japanese activities of Ha Young's great-grandfather, physician An Sang-ho, spreads, the fallout continues. The interview for Netflix series "Such a Ridiculous Love," in which Ha Young starred, was ultimately cancelled.

"Such a Ridiculous Love" public relations agency PRJae announced on the 11th that Ha Young's interview, originally scheduled for the 14th, had to be unavoidably cancelled.

Ha Young, the lead actor in "Such a Ridiculous Love," was initially scheduled to conduct a work-related interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on that day. However, as recent re-examination of An Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities sparked widespread controversy, the production team decided to cancel Ha Young's interview.

Released on the 7th, "Such a Ridiculous Love" is a romantic comedy depicting the heartwarming cohabitation of prosecutor Go Eun-sae (played by Ha Young), who suffers from amnesia, and boxing coach Jang Tae-ha (played by Jung Hae-in), who insists he is her boyfriend. Jung Hae-in and Ha Young starred as the male and female leads.

Earlier, on the 7th, Ha Young appeared on KBS 2TV's variety program "Problem Children Are Coming!" to promote the work. At that time, Ha Young revealed that his family has been a lineage of physicians for four generations, stating, "My great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan and was the first physician to open a clinic in Hanyang," adding that he "Ko Jong (황제) even treated patients."

However, after the broadcast, An Sang-ho's past activities, identified as Ha Young's great-grandfather, were re-examined online, sparking controversy.

An Sang-ho is known to have graduated from the Tokyo Zaiwa Medical School in Japan in 1902, returned to Korea, taught Western medicine, and later served as a member of the royal medical staff.

Additionally, records indicate that he was active in the "Daejeong Friendship Association," an organization with pro-Japanese characteristics during the Japanese colonial period, married a Japanese woman, and lived a Japanese-style life. He was also introduced as a model family under the ideology of "Ilseon Dongche" (Japan and Korea as one body), raising further controversy over his pro-Japanese activities.

Ha Young's agency issued a statement on the 10th regarding the related allegations, initially stating that they were "baseless." However, it retracted this position just one day later.

On the 11th, the agency stated, "We have confirmed that there is indeed a record showing An Sang-ho's name on the list of councilors for the Daejeong Friendship Association in 1916. We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding with 'baseless' without sufficient verification."

It further added, "Through this incident, we deeply realized how crucial careful verification is when conveying historical facts and an individual's biography to the public. Ha Young has also taken this matter to heart and will approach future endeavors with greater caution and humility."

The controversy surrounding Ha Young is now spreading to the broadcasting and advertising industries. The producers of "Problem Children Are Coming!" have discontinued the replay service for segments featuring Ha Young, and in the advertising sector, commercial videos featuring Ha Young are being successively switched to private viewing only.

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*This content was translated by AI.