"Unintended Controversy" Ends?.. Ha Young's Family 'Pro-Japanese Collaboration' Allegations Spark Half-Hearted Explanation [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid allegations that Ha Young's great-grandfather and grandfather were involved in pro-Japanese collaboration activities, she initially claimed the accusations were baseless but retracted her statement within a day. However, her half-hearted apology further cooled public sentiment.

Ha Young's agency, Vistars Entertainment, issued an official statement on the 11th: "Regarding our previous claim that the allegations were baseless, we would like to clarify." It added, "Further verification confirmed that records exist showing Ha Young's great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, was listed as a member of the 1916 Daetong Friendship Association."

The agency continued, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding with 'baseless' without sufficient verification."

Previously, Ha Young introduced her family background on KBS 2TV's variety program "Problem Children Are Here," stating she comes from a four-generation medical family. At the time, she said, "As far as I remember, my great-grandfather was among the first to introduce Western medicine in Hanyang. After studying medicine in Japan, he opened Korea's first Yang (Rep.) clinic in Hanyang and treated patients with Ko Jong (황제)."

Subsequently, speculation arose that Ha Young's great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, a physician active during the Japanese colonial period. As his past activities were re-examined, the allegations escalated into accusations of pro-Japanese collaboration. Additionally, it emerged that Ha Young's grandfather, Ahn Boo-ho, a professor at Catholic University of Korea's School of Medicine Joo Im (Prof.), had worked as a physician at National Sorokdo Hospital, where human rights violations against leprosy patients occurred, further fueling the controversy.

In response, the agency stated on the 10th that while Ha Young's great-grandfather was indeed Ahn Sang-ho, it denied claims about his pro-Japanese collaboration activities circulating online as "inconsistent with facts."

Although the agency reversed its earlier stance of calling the allegations baseless and bowed in apology, Ha Young herself offered no direct apology. According to the agency, Ha Young expressed that she was "deeply troubled by the unintended controversy" and added, "We have taken this incident to heart and will approach future matters with greater caution and humility."

However, it remained unclear whether Ha Young genuinely lacked awareness of the pro-Japanese collaboration allegations concerning her great-grandfather. She provided no specific details about her family history. Ultimately, the message conveyed to the public was limited to expressing that she felt "deeply troubled by the unintended controversy."

Instead, the agency took a more concrete stance in its apology. The agency stated, "Through this incident, we have deeply realized how critical thorough verification is when conveying historical facts and an individual's biography to the public." With the agency's apology preceding any explanation from the central figure of the controversy, concerns remain regarding Ha Young's position and response.

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*This content was translated by AI.