"Three Generations Living in Splendor on Pro-Japanese Assets": Ha Young's Great-Grandfather Mentioned at the National Assembly.. Possibility of Asset Recovery [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Eun-jeong, a lawmaker of the Rebuilding Korea Party, emphasized the need to recover pro-Japanese assets while raising concerns about actress Ha Young’s great-grandfather’s involvement in pro-Japanese activities.

Park (Rep.) raised the controversy surrounding Ha Young’s great-grandfather during a question session with Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo at the Ministry of Justice’s work report held on the 21st before the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Park (Rep.) stated, "Public interest in resolving pro-Japanese legacies is high," and noted that land ownership records covering approximately 2,700 pyeong (about 8,900 square meters) near Gunpo were confirmed in 1910s land documents related to a recent celebrity’s great-grandfather.

She continued, "It has been revealed that the pro-Japanese family was a major landowner who owned large-scale lands around Anyang Station and Gunpo Station," adding, "This great-grandfather appears to have accumulated wealth not as a doctor after the fact, but as a major landowner during the Japanese colonial period, suggesting these were indeed pro-Japanese assets."

Park (Rep.) also mentioned the proposed amendment to the "Special Act on the State Ownership of Assets of Pro-Japanese Collaborators and Others," which is set to take effect in December.

He said, "Coincidentally, the Special Act on the State Ownership of Assets of Pro-Japanese Collaborators and Others, which passed the National Assembly last May, will be implemented on December 3. It has been stated that the committee will be re-established after 16 years."

He further added, "While it is not yet certain whether a celebrity’s great-grandfather’s assets fall under the scope of pro-Japanese asset recovery, the committee appears capable of determining whether the individual was a pro-Japanese collaborator."

Park (Rep.), a permanent research fellow at the Jangsin Historical Issues Research Institute, also cited a 2007 academic paper as evidence. He claimed, "The great-grandfather in question was listed as a council member of the Daejeong Friendship Association, an organization recognized in 1916 by Jo Seon (총독)'s father Gyeong Mu-guk-i (총독) for promoting unity between Korea and Japan under the guise of 'Daejeong Friendship.'"

He then emphasized, "Even if individuals were omitted from past lists, the state must ensure that all pro-Japanese assets are recovered without exception."

He also stated, "I believe the Ministry of Justice must respond to public anger over descendants inappropriately inheriting pro-Japanese assets, accumulating wealth, and living lavishly across three generations."

In response, Vice Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo explained the current status of preparations for launching the committee on recovering pro-Japanese assets.

Lee (Vice Minister) stated, "A preparatory team has been formed and is conducting practical work to launch the committee in December," adding, "Although the estimated minimum recovery amount is 32.5 billion won, this figure was provided based on currently available information without investigative authority."

He continued, "The committee will operate for up to five years, and we expect it to work diligently with independence to recover pro-Japanese assets," concluding, "We will ensure the committee is properly established and launches smoothly."

Meanwhile, Ha Young previously issued a handwritten apology regarding controversies over her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho’s pro-Japanese activities, stating, "I only learned fragmentary details about my great-grandfather’s life through family accounts," while bowing her head.

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*This content was translated by AI.