Actress Ha Young Issues Personal Apology Over Great-Grandfather’s Pro-Japanese Controversy

Ha Young has posted her own apology, three days after the controversy first broke over her great-grandfather An Sang Ho’s pro-Japanese activities. Her handwritten statement, roughly 1,000 characters long, was filled with repeated apologies and reflection.

Ha Young posted a handwritten apology letter to her personal account on August 12th. She began, “First, I bow my head and apologize for the great disappointment and hurt caused by matters related to my great-grandfather. Learning about my great-grandfather An Sang Ho’s past actions recently has led me to reflect deeply and heavily on my family’s history,” continuing, “Until now, I only knew fragments of my great-grandfather’s life through stories passed down within my family. Shamefully, in that state of ignorance, I brought up stories about my great-grandfather in various settings as though they were something the family should be proud of. Through the process of directly researching related materials because of this incident, I learned of my great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities. I reflect on the fact that I spoke lightly about my family history without properly understanding our nation’s painful history during the Japanese colonial period.”

She continued, “When the controversy first arose, I also did not know the facts accurately, and in that process, a statement calling it ‘unfounded’ was released through my agency. I believe it was also my own shortcoming that allowed an incorrect statement to be released without sufficient verification. I sincerely apologize for the greater confusion and hurt this caused,” she said, bowing her head, adding, “Because the matter was so serious and I felt so sorry, I struggled with how to convey my apology, which delayed my statement, and I apologize again for that as well.”

Ha Young added, “The fact that I simply didn’t know cannot be a reason to turn away from or take that history lightly. I accept that wrongdoing with the weight it deserves, and as a descendant, I sincerely apologize. It weighs on me even more heavily that my shortcomings caused this controversy so close to Liberation Day,” continuing, “I will take this to heart. I will properly look into my family’s history and that era, and I will approach history with a more careful attitude going forward. I will also do my best to study our history more deeply and to honor, with respect, our independence activists and everyone who worked for our nation’s liberation and wellbeing. I will follow through with actions, not just words. Once again, I sincerely apologize to everyone I have caused concern to.”

Ha Young appeared on the KBS 2TV variety show “Problem Child in House,” which aired on the 7th, alongside Jung Hae In to promote their project, where she revealed that her family had been a family of doctors for four generations, saying, “My great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan and was the first doctor to open a clinic in Hanyang,” and “He even treated Emperor Gojong.” Ha Young, who had mentioned her family background on other broadcasts before, drew attention with these remarks, and after the broadcast, the past activities of An Sang Ho, known to be her great-grandfather, were reexamined online, sparking controversy.

Ha Young’s great-grandfather An Sang Ho reportedly graduated from Tokyo Jikei Medical School in 1902, returned to Korea, and taught Western medicine before going on to serve as a member of the royal medical staff. He was active in the pro-Japanese organization Daejeong Chinmokhoe during the Japanese colonial period, and records indicate he married a Japanese woman and lived a Japanese-style life. Reports that his family had been introduced as a model household embodying “Naisen Ittai” (the Japanese colonial ideology treating Japan and Korea as one body) also resurfaced, fueling the controversy over his pro-Japanese activities.

Ha Young’s agency initially stated on the 10th that the allegations were “unfounded,” but reversed that position a day later, confirming the record does exist, and apologized for the confusion caused by responding hastily without sufficient verification.

At the time the controversy first broke, the agency, unaware of the seriousness of the matter, called it “unfounded,” only to reverse its position the very next day. As the controversy continued, Ha Young’s father gave an interview to a media outlet as the family’s representative, apologizing for the discomfort caused to many people and stating that, especially with Liberation Day approaching, the family took the matter seriously given that it involved the important history of the Japanese colonial period. He also said it weighed on him as a descendant that his grandfather’s name appeared on the roster of council members for the pro-Japanese organization Daejeong Chinmokhoe.

Later that same day, Ha Young canceled her previously scheduled August 14th interview for the Netflix series “Our Sticky Love,” effectively giving up a natural opportunity to apologize for her distorted historical awareness and ignorance through a pre-arranged interview setting. Because of Ha Young, her co-star Jung Hae In also canceled his scheduled interview for the same day.

With Liberation Day approaching, drawing even greater attention to the “pro-Japanese controversy,” it remains to be seen whether Ha Young’s apology will be enough to change public sentiment.

Source: (A)