'Pro-Japanese collaborator' Ha Young's great-grandfather also had a false resume: 'Smallpox vaccination pioneer Ji Seok-young and instructor at the Government Medical School' [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Following Ha Young's acknowledgment of her great-grandfather An Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities, new doubts have emerged regarding false claims in An Sang-ho's resume.

Ha Young's father, An Byeong-mun (Director), wrote an op-ed titled "A Letter to My Eldest Daughter" for JoongAng Ilbo in 2002. At the time, Director An stated, "Our family is among the few distinguished medical families," and added, "My great-grandfather served as an instructor at the Government Medical School, the predecessor of Seoul National University College of Medicine, alongside Ji Seok-young, famous for implementing the smallpox vaccination program, and he also served as the first Han Seong-ui-sa (Chairman)."

However, according to government records, the person who served as a medical school instructor alongside Ji Seok-young under orders from the Korean Empire government was Kim Ik-nam.

Kim Ik-nam graduated from Ji Ke-i (Rep.) Medical School in July 1899 and, upon returning to Korea in August 1900 at the government's request, took office as an instructor at the Government Medical School, where he trained 32 modern Korean physicians over four years.

In contrast, An Sang-ho was appointed as an instructor in October 1904 but refused to return to Korea and was dismissed three months later. The Government Medical School was subsequently closed by the Japanese Resident-General on March 10, 1907, and it is reported that An Sang-ho did not return to Korea until March 21, after the school's closure.

On the 7th, during a broadcast of KBS 2TV's "Problem Children in High School," Ha Young stated, "My great-grandfather opened the first clinic in Hanyang and treated Ko Jong (황제) patients." She also mentioned that her family has been a medical family for four generations, including her grandfather, father, mother, and older sister.

Subsequently, it became known that Ha Young's great-grandfather was the pro-Japanese collaborator An Sang-ho. According to a 1918 interview in Maeil Sinbo, an institutional investor-backed newspaper, after marrying a Japanese wife, An Sang-ho said, "I am exactly like a Japanese person. I no longer own any Korean clothes and cannot eat spicy food," and "My children only speak Japanese at home; they cannot speak Korean at all. We are raising them as a completely Japanese family."

It was also revealed that he served as a councilor of the Daetong Friendship Association, a pro-Japanese organization established in Seoul in 1919. Yi Wan-yong, a representative pro-Japanese collaborator, was also a member of this group.

Ha Young's agency issued its first statement on the 10th: "While it is true that Ha Young's great-grandfather was An Sang-ho, the allegations circulating online regarding his pro-Japanese activities and other matters are baseless."

However, on the 11th, the agency reversed its previous stance, acknowledging that records exist showing An Sang-ho's name on the 1916 councilor list of the Daetong Friendship Association. The agency stated, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding 'baseless' without sufficient verification." It added, "The actor herself is in a very heavy-hearted state, and we deeply regret having caused concern through this incident. Moving forward, we will proceed with greater caution and humility."

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*This content was translated by AI.