South Korean actor Ha Young cancelled all promotional activities, including an August 14 round table for her Netflix series Our Sticky Love, amid an ancestry controversy.
The controversy erupted after Ha Young spoke about her great-grandfather, Dr Ahn Sang Ho, on a variety show, prompting viewers to research his historical records.
Historical documents revealed Dr Ahn Sang Ho served as a council member for Daejeong Chinmokhoe, a pro-Japanese assimilation organisation, in 1916.
South Korean actor Ha Young has cancelled all promotional events ahead of the country's National Liberation Day on August 15. The actor is currently facing controversy over historical records tying her great-grandfather to a pro-Japanese organisation during the colonial period.
Ha Young stars in the Netflix romantic comedy Our Sticky Love alongside Jung Hae In. The series marks her first lead role. Her management cancelled an August 14 round table discussion intended to promote the series, The Chosun Daily reported. Ha Young previously gained popularity through her appearances in the Netflix shows The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call and Teach You a Lesson.
About Ha Young great-grandfather controversy
The issue emerged after Ha Young appeared on the variety programme Problem Child in House on August 7. She discussed her family's medical legacy during the broadcast.
“My great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan and opened the first Western-style clinic in Hanyang. I heard he even treated Emperor Gojong,” Ha Young said.
Viewers subsequently identified her great-grandfather as Dr Ahn Sang Ho. He held Japan's first medical license awarded to a Korean. Historical records show he married a Japanese woman and adopted Japanese customs. In a 1918 interview with the Maeil Sinbo newspaper, Ahn Sang Ho stated that he did not wear Korean clothes and was “like a Japanese”.
Further documents revealed Ahn Sang Ho was a 1916 council member of Daejeong Chinmokhoe. A 2007 research paper described the group as “a Japan-Korea assimilation organization aimed at endorsing the Governor-General's politics and harmonizing the Japanese and Korean ethnicities.”
Ha Young's agency denies allegations
Bistus Entertainment, the management agency representing Ha Young, initially denied the allegations “groundless”.
“After further checking, we have confirmed that records of great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho being listed as a councillor of the Daejong Chinmokhoe in 1916 actually existed,” Anh Ha-young’s agency Bistrus Entertainment said on Tuesday, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily.
“We sincerely apologise for the confusion we caused by hastily answering that it was groundless, without sufficient verification.”
“The actress herself is feeling very heavy-hearted that this has unintentionally led to controversy,” it stated further.
Impact of the controversy on Ha Young's projects
The scandal has triggered an immediate halt to several ongoing activities. Broadcasters stopped replays of Problem Child in House, while some of the actor's advertisements were made private.
Ha Young stars alongside Lee Je Hoon in the upcoming 2027 SBS television drama There’s a Winning Chance.
“There’s a Winning Chance has already completed a significant portion of filming... We are aware of the matter and are closely monitoring how the situation develops,” an SBS representative stated, as reported by XportsNews.
The actress is also scheduled to shoot Seasons 2 and 3 of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call simultaneously. Production for the series, co-starring Ju Ji Joon, Choo Young Woo and Yoon Kyung Ho, begins in October.
