"I Am Like a Japanese"... Pro-Japanese Activities of Prestigious Family Actor's Great-Grandfather Unearthed

Great-Grandfather's Pro-Japanese Past Sparks Public Outrage
Ha Young’s Agency: "We Confirmed the Records, Deeply Distressed"

Actor Ha Young (birth name: Ahn Hayoung), who recently appeared on a variety show and proudly announced her lineage as a "prestigious family of doctors for four generations," is now facing a severe backlash following the revelation of her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese actions. Initially, her agency strongly refuted the allegations as "unfounded." However, after it was revealed that her great-grandfather, Ahn Sangho, was listed as a councilor of the Daejeong Industrial Friendship Society (Daejeong Chinmokhoe), the agency reversed its statement and offered an apology the very next day. Online, criticism abounds that she "boasted about her family's wealth and reputation, only for the pro-Japanese activities to be uncovered," with some saying she "brought about her own downfall through excessive pride."

Actor Ha Young. Screenshot from Ha Young's Instagram

This controversy arose after the KBS 2TV variety show "Problem Children in the Rooftop Room," aired on August 7. During the broadcast, Ha Young introduced herself as hailing from a family that has continued the medical profession for four generations, stating, "My great-grandfather learned Western medicine in Japan and was the first Korean doctor to open a clinic in Hanyang, and he also treated Emperor Gojong."

Immediately after the program, she attracted attention online as having been born into a "gold spoon family," but Internet users soon discovered through investigation that her great-grandfather was in fact Ahn Sangho, the first doctor to open a Western medical clinic during the Japanese colonial era. As a result, public sentiment shifted dramatically.

Ha Young's Great-Grandfather: "I Am Like a Japanese"

Ahn Sangho graduated from Tokyo Jikei Medical School in Japan in 1902, becoming the first Korean to obtain a Japanese medical license. Upon returning home in 1904, he served as a court physician to Emperor Sunjong and worked as a doctor attached to the Imperial Household, and opened Korea's first Western medical clinic.

In an article titled "The Home of Doctor Ahn Sangho, Who Has Been Completely Assimilated" published in the Maeil Shinbo, the official newspaper of the Japanese Governor-General of Korea, on December 10, 1918, Ahn stated, "I am like a Japanese; I wear Japanese clothes and my wife is Japanese. All the rules and food in my household are Japanese-style."

He added that no Korean was spoken at home, so his children could not speak Korean, and that there was almost no interaction with Koreans. The Japanese Governor-General’s Office actively used such examples—of a successful Korean intellectual fully assimilating Japanese lifestyle—as a model case for "Naisen Ittai" (the unity of Japan and Korea) and "Ilseon Donghwa" (assimilation policy), to justify colonial rule.

Suspicions Regarding 'King Gojong's Poisoning' as Well

The name Ahn Sangho, her great-grandfather, also appears in anecdotal histories and memoirs associated with the tragic imperial family's "King Gojong poisoning theory." Lady Bangja, consort of Yeongchinwang, the last crown prince of the Korean Empire, wrote in her memoir that she heard an unexpected rumor: "The Governor-General of Korea had ordered court physician Ahn Sangho to poison him."

A similar account is also found in the memoir "Royal Palace Secrets," written by Kondo Shirosuke, a Japanese official who served as chamberlain in the imperial household. He recorded rumors that Min Byeongseok, Yun Deokyeong, and others had conspired with the Governor-General’s officials, instructing Ahn Sangho to administer poison.

Ahn Sangho's name also appears in "Lady Bangja's Memoirs" and "Royal Palace Secrets," which deal with the poisoning theory of King Gojong. Lady Bangja, the wife of Yeongchinwang, the last crown prince of the Korean Empire, wrote in her memoirs, "I heard an unexpected rumor that the Governor-General of Korea ordered Ahn Sangho to poison him." Captured from KBS "History Special"

Additionally, it was confirmed that Ahn Sangho was affiliated with the pro-Japanese organization "Daejeong Industrial Friendship Society (Daejeong Chinmokhoe)" founded in November 1916 by Min Yeonggi, a well-known pro-Japanese collaborator, with participation from Lee Wanyong, Song Byeongjun, and Jo Jungsung.

Furthermore, the past career of Ha Young's grandfather, the late Ahn Buho—a former chief professor at The Catholic University of Korea's College of Medicine—is also drawing renewed attention. Professor Ahn is known to have worked at the National Sorokdo Hospital from 1949 to the early 1950s. At that time, serious human rights violations—such as forced sterilization, forced abortion, and mandatory labor of Hansen’s disease patients—were widespread at Sorokdo. Although there is no confirmation that Professor Ahn was directly involved in any human rights abuses, scrutiny has increased due to the allegations against his own father.

From a Firm "Groundless" Denial to a Complete Reversal Within a Day

Ha Young's agency, Visters Entertainment, initially told the media that "the allegations of pro-Japanese collaboration spreading online are completely untrue," taking a firm stance that they were "groundless." However, as physical evidence of her great-grandfather's involvement in the pro-Japanese organization and interviews in the Governor-General’s official newspaper emerged, the agency completely reversed its explanation, issuing an official statement on the morning of the 11th—just one day later.

Actor Ha Young. Screenshot from Ha Young's Instagram.

The agency announced, "Upon further verification, we have confirmed that Mr. Ahn Sangho was indeed listed as a councilor for the Daejeong Chinmokhoe in 1916." It continued, "We sincerely apologize for giving a hasty response of 'groundless' without thorough verification, which caused confusion."

It also added, "Actor Ha Young is deeply troubled that a controversy arose inadvertently as she referenced her family’s four generations in the medical field on the broadcast. She has become acutely aware of the necessity for careful verification when conveying historical facts and an individual’s biography to the public, and promises to approach such matters with even greater humility in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.