Japanese professor responds to controversy over Ha Young’s great-grandfather: “In Korea, pro-Japanese collaborators are traitors”... Next project ‘Chance’ postponed [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As actor Ha Young has suspended activities, including stepping down from a drama he was scheduled to appear in, amid controversy over his great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese conduct, a Japanese historian shared his views on “pro-Japanese collaborators.”

Ono Yasutero, an associate professor at Kyushu University specializing in Korean history, mentioned the controversy surrounding Ha Young’s great-grandfather and issues related to pro-Japanese collaborators in Korean society during an interview reported by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun on the 18th.

When asked what “pro-Japanese collaborator” means, Associate Professor Ono replied, “First of all, in Korea, the term does not refer at all to someone who likes Japan or takes a friendly stance toward it.” He added, “It is used as an extremely negative term, referring to traitors to the nation or sellouts who assisted Japan in colonizing the Korean Peninsula in the past.”

He further explained, “The term has been used with the meaning of ‘traitor’ for about 120 years, even before the Korean Peninsula became a Japanese colony, yet it seems there is still misunderstanding in Japan.”

Associate Professor Ono also pointed out that pro-Japanese collaborators who lived wealthy lives under colonial rule continued to accumulate wealth after liberation. He noted, “Since the root of the problem lies in Japan’s colonial rule, the settlement of pro-Japanese collaboration is, in a broad sense, a historical issue between Korea and Japan.”

Ha Young became embroiled in controversy after his great-grandfather An Sang-ho’s (1874–1927) past actions came under scrutiny. Previously, on variety shows and YouTube content visited for promotional purposes, Ha Young emphasized that his family was a “medical dynasty for four generations” and spoke about An Sang-ho, stating, “My great-grandfather was one of the first to open a Western medicine Jeon Mun (Rep.) in Han Yang. After studying medicine in Japan, he opened the first Yang (Rep.) in Han Yang and treated patients with Ko Jong (황제).” However, he later faced fierce criticism after An Sang-ho’s pro-Japanese history was revealed.

An Sang-ho graduated from Tokyo Jia Medical School in Japan in 1902 and was the first Korean to obtain a Japanese medical license, while also being a figure suspected of pro-Japanese collaboration during the Japanese colonial period.

As the controversy spread, records surfaced showing that on December 10, 1918, An Sang-ho had stated in Maeil Shinbo, which was then the Jo Seon (총독)-affiliated institutional investor newspaper: “I am the same as Japanese people; I wear Japanese clothing, and my wife is a Japanese woman. Our household rules and diet are all Japanese-style. Unlike Koreans, we do not even have one Korean robe.” This revelation sparked greater public outrage.

In the aftermath of the controversy, Ha Young ultimately withdrew from “Trauma Center Season 2,” a Netflix original series that was scheduled to be his next project.

Additionally, SBS’s new drama “There Is a Chance,” in which Ha Young starred, was originally planned for broadcast in the first half of next year but is currently undergoing scheduling adjustments. Regarding this, an SBS representative told StarNews on the 19th, “Given that the work was produced with numerous staff and cast members, we are carefully considering various options, but no specific broadcast schedule has been confirmed yet.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original