'Descendant of a Pro-Japanese Collaborator' Ha Young's Apology Met with Cold Reception.. Netflix Hit Hard, SBS in Dilemma [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Ha Young (real name Ahn Ha-young) bowed his head amid controversy over his great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, but public reaction remains cold.

On the 12th, Ha Young posted a handwritten apology on his SNS regarding his great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's past actions: "Until now, I only knew my great-grandfather's life fragmentarily through stories passed down by my family. Regrettably, in my ignorance, I have brought up stories about my great-grandfather at various occasions as if they were family pride."

He continued, "Through this incident, while searching for relevant materials myself, I learned of my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities."

"I reflect on having lightly mentioned family history without properly understanding the painful history of the Japanese colonial period," he said. Regarding his agency's initial claim that the allegations were baseless, he added, "I believe it was also due to my own shortcomings that a wrong stance was conveyed without sufficient verification."

He further stated, "The fact that I was unaware does not justify ignoring or treating this history lightly. I take this fault seriously and sincerely apologize as a descendant."

Regarding the controversy erupting just before Liberation Day, he expressed, "I feel even more deeply sorry for causing trouble due to my own shortcomings."

Previously, Ha Young introduced his family background as being from a "fourth-generation doctor's family" in various variety shows including KBS 2TV's "Problem Children Are Here."

In the broadcast, Ha Young said, "As far as I remember, my great-grandfather was one of the first to open Western medicine Jeon Mun (Rep.) in Hanyang at that time. After studying medicine in Japan, he opened the first Yang (Rep.) in Hanyang and treated patients with Ko Jong (황제)."

Subsequently, speculation spread on online communities that Ha Young's great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho (1872–1927), and his past actions were re-examined, leading to pro-Japanese collaboration controversy.

The core of the controversy was a record showing that Ahn Sang-ho appeared on the list of councilors for the Daejeong Friendship Association in 1916. The Daejeong Friendship Association promoted "internal-Korean and Japanese fusion" under colonial rule and collaborated with Japan's colonial administration; academic circles evaluate it as one of the representative pro-Japanese organizations.

However, when the controversy first erupted, an agency representative told StarNews, "It is true that Ha Young's great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho," but regarding the pro-Japanese activities of Ahn Sang-ho raised on online platforms, stated, "There are parts that differ from the facts."

Later, the agency reconfirmed the facts and corrected its stance within a day. The agency said, "Further verification confirmed that there is indeed a record showing that my great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho was listed as a councilor of the Daejeong Friendship Association in 1916. We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily answering 'baseless' without sufficient verification."

Meanwhile, despite Ha Young's apology, public criticism surrounding the controversy has not easily subsided. The recently released Netflix series "Such Damn Love" drew attention more to Ha Young's controversy than to the work's own quality, and the work itself was swallowed up by the controversy.

Ha Young was originally scheduled to meet reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the 14th for an interview about the work. As the controversy over his great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities spread, the interview schedule was canceled. Co-star Jung Hae-in also canceled his planned interview.

Ha Young's upcoming SBS drama "There Is a Chance," in which he plays the lead role, has also faced unexpected burdens.

Especially, "There Is a Chance" is reported to have already been filmed to a significant extent. Since Ha Young plays the female lead, her screen presence is substantial; from the production team's perspective, significantly adjusting her screen time or reshooting scenes is not realistically easy.

On this day, an SBS representative told StarNews, "'There Is a Chance' has already been filmed to a significant extent." Currently, they can only wait and observe the trend of the controversy and public opinion.

Meanwhile, Ha Young emphasized, "I will carefully examine my family's history and that era, and adopt an even more cautious attitude toward history moving forward. I will also deeply study our history and do my best to honor all those who contributed to Korea's liberation and peace, including independence activists. I will put this into action, not just words."

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*This content was translated by AI.