[Sportschosun Kim So-hee reporter] As actress Ha Young has become embroiled in controversy over her great-grandfather, an anonymous post uploaded to an online community 13 years ago is drawing renewed attention.
A post titled "[2030 Sorrow] I Can Confess Because I’m Anonymous," originally published on May 18, 2013, recently resurfaced on an online community.
In the post, the author, identified as A, said, "My great-grandfather was the doctor suspected of poisoning Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire. I first found out four years ago. He was even on TV. I’ll just keep it short and mention the name."
A then added, "To be honest, my family is well-off. I don’t know much myself, but I was told we have been wealthy for generations. Looking at how we got through the Japanese colonial period without much trouble, I guess my great-grandfather, and even my grandfather, were pro-Japanese. It’s disgusting that I was born into this family."
A also noted that the great-grandfather had been featured on television. The broadcast in question is believed to be a segment from the August 2009 episode of KBS's "Conversations with the Past," titled "Emperor Gojong of the Korean Empire, the Truth of His Death." It is reported that the name of Ha Young’s great-grandfather, doctor Ahn Sang-ho, was mentioned in that program.
Ahn Sang-ho is known as Korea’s first private-practice physician. However, controversy over pro-Japanese activities arose after it became known that he served as a council member of the Taisho Business Fellowship Association, a pro-Japanese group during the Japanese colonial period. Records also reportedly show that in a 1918 interview with Maeil Sinbo, the official newspaper of the Government-General of Chōsen, he said, "I am like the Japanese, so I wear Japanese clothes, and my wife is Japanese."
He was also later mentioned as a figure connected to the suspicion of poisoning Emperor Gojong in 1919, when he was unable to treat the fallen emperor.
Earlier, Ha Young appeared on a television program and introduced her family as having produced doctors for four generations. Later, as records emerged showing that her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho had pro-Japanese ties, including serving as a council member of the pro-Japanese Taisho Fellowship Association, controversy erupted over her being a descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator.
After it became known that Ha Young’s great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, suspicions about his pro-Japanese activities spread. On the 10th, her agency, VAST Entertainment, acknowledged that her great-grandfather was indeed the doctor Ahn Sang-ho, but drew a line on the pro-Japanese allegations, calling them "groundless."
However, after additional records related to Ahn Sang-ho’s activities were confirmed, the agency reversed its official position within a day.
On the 11th, Ha Young’s side said, "After further verification, we confirmed that records do exist showing that Ahn Sang-ho was listed as a council member of the Taisho Fellowship Association in 1916." It added, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding that the allegations were groundless without sufficient verification."
Ha Young also issued a handwritten letter on the 12th, saying, "Through the process of directly looking into related materials after this incident, I learned about my great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities." She added, "I reflect on carelessly mentioning my family history without properly understanding the painful history of our country during the Japanese colonial period."
As a result, what once seemed like a simple anonymous post from 13 years ago has resurfaced in connection with the recent controversy surrounding Ha Young. Because details in the post, such as the "doctor suspected of poisoning Emperor Gojong," "a person featured on TV," and "a family that had been well-off for generations," partially overlap with Ahn Sang-ho’s background, curiosity about the author’s identity is also growing.
However, based on the information currently available, it is impossible to confirm whether the author of the post is actually a member of Ha Young’s family. Even if some similarities exist between the post and the facts now known, that alone does not identify the writer, so caution is needed against premature speculation or attempts to reveal a private identity.
Kim So-hee reporter yaqqol@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
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