Hyejun is me, I am hyejun.

Name: My Bias, My Boss

Actress Ha Young is said to have broken down in tears on a drama set as controversy continues over her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities.

According to a report by MyDaily on the 16th, Ha Young suddenly burst into tears while filming the new SBS drama "There's a Winning Chance" on the 13th and was unable to compose herself. Filming was reportedly halted for a while as a result.

At the time, Ha Young took a break for several hours, regained her composure, and returned to the set. She then completed the scheduled shoot, according to reports.

Recently, Ha Young has been at the center of controversy after it became known that her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho had pro-Japanese activities during the Japanese colonial period.

Earlier, on KBS2's "Problem Child in House," Ha Young mentioned that her great-grandfather opened a Western-style clinic in Hanyang and treated Emperor Gojong.

Later, claims spread online that her great-grandfather was the doctor Ahn Sang-ho, and the controversy deepened after his pro-Japanese activities came to light.

Ha Young's agency initially denied the allegations, but later changed its position, saying it had confirmed Ahn Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities. Ha Young also released a handwritten apology, saying she deeply accepted her great-grandfather's wrongdoing and apologized as a descendant.

Despite the controversy, Ha Young continues filming "There's a Winning Chance," which is set to air next year.

The series is a comic legal detective drama about a law office led by former lawyer and current office manager Kwon Baek, and Lee Je-hoon also stars in the show.
So far, there has been no change to Ha Young's role. SBS said that a significant portion of the filming has already been completed and that it is monitoring the situation.

Source

TV columnist Jung Seok-hee pointed out the importance of history education by mentioning the controversy over the pro-Japanese activities of Ahn Sang-ho, the great-grandfather of actress Ha-young (real name Ahn Ha-young).

{Carv's Note} (more context)

Jung Seok-hee is a well known South Korean television and pop-culture critic and columnist who runs a popular media review channel called [Jung Seok-hee TV Review (정석희 테레비평)].

She is reasonably famous within Korean entertainment and media circles. While she is not a mainstream celebrity or entertainer, her commentary, critiques, and regular columns analyzing South Korean TV shows, K-dramas, and celebrity controversies are frequently covered by major Korean media outlets.

Also, please do keep in mind that some translations may be wrong, especially surrounding pronouns and such.

{End of Carv's Note}

Short Version

Jung Seok-hee said in a video on the YouTube channel "Jeong Seok-hee Televi-Pyeong" released on the 15th, "I was caught by my ancestors, descendants, or bragging about forgetting history." Looking at this incident, I realized the absence of historical consciousness," he said, referring to the controversy over the pro-Japanese activities of Ha-young's great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho.

He said, "There is an opinion that it is harsh to ask future generations for the wrongdoings of Seonjo. The problem was not to ask the descendants about the mistakes of the dead 100 years ago, but the self-introduction of the boasting ceremony brought up on the 2026 broadcast. What did he expect and say it was a 'fourth generation doctor's family?' he pointed out.

He continued, "There are also parts that I feel sorry for. He was pretty good at broadcasting until he brought up his "fourth doctor" self-assertion. "I know the exact timing of hitting and entering the broadcast, and I showed my quickness," he said, expressing regret.

"In any case, parents who did not instill a sense of history in their children are most responsible," he said, adding, "My parents must have lived with 'I'm good' without much thought."
In particular, Jeong Seok-hee said, "The lesson learned from this work is, after all, the importance of history education.

Furthermore, we have to be careful of what we say when we wake up," he said. "The past cannot be changed, but today's attitude toward the past can be chosen by us. I hope this controversy does not end up driving one person," he said.

Meanwhile, controversy erupted when it was revealed that Ha-young's great-grandfather, who treated King Gojong after confessing that he was a "fourth-generation doctor's family," was the late Ahn Sang-ho, who was embroiled in controversy over his pro-Japanese activities.

Later, he said in a handwritten letter, "I've only known fragmentarily about the life of my great-grandfather from the stories I've heard from my family. "I have brought up stories about my great-grandfather like a family's pride in such an ignorant state," he said.

"With this incident, I learned about my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese behavior in the process of searching for related data in person."

I regret that I lightly mentioned my family history without knowing the history of our country, which had a painful time during the Japanese colonial period," he apologized.

Source #1

Longer Version

On the 15th, the YouTube channel ‘Jung Seok-hee Terebipyeong’ uploaded a video titled ‘Ancestors and Descendants Alike Stumbling Over Pride That Has Forgotten History.’

In the video, commentator Jung said, “With Liberation Day approaching, the controversy over pro-Japanese sentiment has been heated. Watching what happened this time, I realized just how much of an absence of historical awareness there is.”

She continued, “There are people saying, ‘Why should the descendants be held responsible for something their ancestors did wrong? It’s not right. It’s too harsh. What kind of guilt by association is this in this day and age?’”

She then pointed out, “The issue here isn’t that we should hold the descendants responsible for the wrongdoings of someone who died 100 years ago. The problem is the boastful self-introduction that was brought up on a broadcast in 2026.”

She added, “Don’t we all know perfectly well what she was expecting to gain by going out of her way to say that she comes from a ‘family of doctors for four generations’?

Commentator Jung discussed reports from the Japanese colonial period concerning Hayoung’s great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, specifically mentioning coverage in Maeil Shinbo. Jung explained that “Ahn Sang-ho, too, ended up being tripped up by his own words,” and said that his family was included in a series of articles at the time that introduced people who had married Japanese people and were living with them.

She continued, “The home of Ahn Sang-ho, as seen by the Maeil Shinbo reporter at the time, was no different from a Japanese household.” She said the reporter had interviewed the family and written that “there wasn’t a single piece of Korean clothing, they couldn’t eat spicy food at all, they were just like Japanese people, and even the children did not speak Korean.”

She added, “If this isn’t pro-Japanese collaboration, then what is? Since an article like this exists, you cannot say that he did not collaborate with the Japanese.”

Jung also expressed disappointment with the KBS 2TV program ‘Problem Child in House’, on which Hayoung appeared. She said, “There must have been so many people at the recording, so I find it puzzling that not a single person recognized the problem.” She explained, “Normally, someone from an actor’s agency comes to these kinds of filming locations. If they determine that something could be even slightly harmful [to the actor], they immediately ask the production staff to edit it out. That’s why they are there, watching over things on set.”

She continued, “But no one stopped it. Even the six hosts just kept reacting with exclamations of admiration without giving it much thought,” she pointed out.

Jung said, “Up until she brought up that self-bragging about being a ‘fourth-generation doctor,’ Hayoung had actually done quite well on the show. If you take that part out, she was quite good,” comparing her with Jung Joon-won, who became embroiled in controversy over his attitude after appearing on MBC’s Hangout with Yoo?

She said, “Compared with the situation where Jung Joon-won appeared on Hangout with Yoo? and ended up ruining the broadcast, Hayoung was closer to an exemplary case.” She explained that “the two had similar positions in that Hayoung, like Jung Joon-won, had relatively lower recognition compared with the other actor, and this was her first leading role after gaining attention for playing nurse Cheon Jang-mi in Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.”

She continued, “Hayoung knew the appropriate timing to jump into the conversation, and she even demonstrated quick thinking by being considerate toward the hosts,” she evaluated.

Commentator Jung identified the lack of historical awareness as the core issue in this controversy.
She said, “In any case, I think the greatest responsibility lies with the parents who failed to properly instill historical awareness in their children.”

She emphasized, “The lesson we should ultimately take away from this incident is the importance of historical education. And, going a step further, it’s a reminder that we should always be careful about what we say.”

She continued, “In particular, I hope entertainment agencies will refrain from making reckless attempts simply out of a desire to generate buzz. I hope they will be more cautious, taking the cases of Jung Joon-won and Hayoung as lessons, and consider more carefully how best to make use of the valuable opportunity of appearing on a terrestrial television variety program.”

Addressing production staff and other broadcasting personnel, she pointed out, “The role of a broadcast program is not simply to react with admiration and applause to what a guest says. It is also the responsibility of the production staff to examine what historical context may be contained in those words.”

Finally, commentator Jung emphasized, “We cannot choose our ancestors. Therefore, this is not about holding descendants responsible for the wrongdoings of their ancestors. However, while we cannot change the past, we can choose how we respond to that past today. I hope this controversy does not end with singling out and attacking one particular person.”

Earlier, on the 7th, Hayoung revealed on KBS 2TV’s Problem Child in House that she came from a “family of doctors spanning four generations,” including her great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and older sister.

However, controversy arose afterward when it became known that Hayoung’s great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho. This was because records concerning Ahn Sang-ho were brought back into the spotlight, including the fact that he had been mentioned in connection with the theory that King Gojong was poisoned/assassinated, as well as records showing that his name appeared on the list of the first councilors of the Daejeong Mutual Friendship Association (대정친목회), a pro-Japanese organization whose adviser was Lee Wan-yong.

Eventually, on the 12th, Hayoung issued a handwritten apology, stating, “Until now, I only knew about my great-grandfather’s life in fragments through stories passed down by my family. I deeply regret casually mentioning my family history without properly understanding the history of our country and the painful period of Japanese colonial rule.” She bowed her head in apology.

Source #2

When I Fly Towards You

This is currently the latest update for now.

(along with Ha Young and Lee Jehoon's new** **K-drama "The Long Shot Trial" issues)

Brand Deals & Removals

The controversy surrounding "Our Sticky Love" actress Ha Young's family history has led to several canceled or withdrawn professional engagements.

The issue stems from her great-grandfather, Doctor Ahn Sang Ho, whose documented ties to Japan's colonial rule were recently acknowledged by Ha Young's agency.

Following the revelations, Samsung Electronics made six promotional videos featuring Ha Young for its Samsung Art TV campaign private, while fashion brand Artid also removed her campaign videos.

Her scheduled media interviews on August 14 to promote Netflix's "Our Sticky Love" were canceled. An episode of
"Problem Child in House" featuring Ha Young was also removed from Wavve, with related YouTube and Naver TV clips made private.

Despite the backlash, her filming commitments for the SBS drama "The Long Shot Trial" remained unchanged, and she was reportedly seen continuing production as scheduled.

The controversy comes as South Korea prepares to revive an official committee investigating and confiscating property linked to pro-Japanese collaborators. A new law taking effect in December will allow authorities to examine assets acquired through collaboration with Japan between 1904 and 1945.

However, there is currently no confirmation that Ha Young or her immediate family possess property connected to her great-grandfather's alleged activities. Any potential investigation or asset seizure would depend on future findings by the authorities.

@koreanophiles

Japanese Media Responds

Japanese media and online users are showing strong interest in the controversy surrounding actor Ha Young, who has faced public criticism over her initial response to revelations about the pro-Japanese activities of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho (1872-1927).

Much of the Japanese reaction has been sympathetic toward Ha, with some describing the backlash as "modern-day guilt by association" and criticizing the response in Korea. The reaction highlights a stark difference in perspective between Japan, the former colonial power, and Korea, which was subjected to Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

A column published Wednesday by the conservative Japanese outlet JBpress is one example. Its headline, "Why does Korea not forgive descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators? The 'modern-day guilt by association' cornering celebrities and the weaponization of history," made clear its critical view of the Korean response.

The outlet first outlined the known facts, identifying Ha's great-grandfather as Ahn Sang-ho, who served as a council member of the Taisho Business Friendship Association, an organization formed during the colonial period. It described the group as an organization of Korea's upper class that promoted "harmony between Japan and Korea."

JBpress, however, said Ahn's actions should not be conflated with those of Ha.

"Ha Young never experienced the Japanese colonial period, and the past actions of a great-grandfather whom she never met are now being treated as an issue," the outlet said. "It feels utterly unreasonable, but she has somehow been branded a 'descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator.'"

It also criticized what it described as a culture of digging into celebrities' family histories, saying that when someone becomes famous in Korea, not only the person's past but also the histories of their parents, siblings and even ancestors can come under scrutiny.

A column from Fuji News Network (FNN) offered a similar assessment.

"The situation in which Ha's programs and advertisements are being made private because of allegations concerning her great-grandfather could be described as a modern-day form of 'guilt by association,'" it said.

"It is necessary to distinguish between confirmed actions and unfounded allegations, ancestors and descendants, and historical responsibility and contemporary political attacks," it said. "Otherwise, the scope of the term 'pro-Japanese' could expand endlessly, to the point that we lose sight of what should actually be criticized and remembered."

Its argument was that the situation should be judged more objectively because Ha herself did not engage in pro-Japanese activities.

'Are they making someone a criminal out of jealousy?'

Similar reactions appeared among Japanese internet users.

One Japanese user wrote that Koreans "show a tendency to create new sinners based on fragmentary perspectives, perhaps because they are jealous of other people's success," adding that many ancestors branded "pro-Japanese" were "ordinary people who simply went along with the circumstances of their time."

Such comments effectively defended people accused of collaboration and their actions. Some responses went further, displaying historically inaccurate or distorted views, including claims that Japan also had "25 million victims" and that events from 80 years ago should no longer be invoked, as well as a claim that Yi Wan-yong, a leading pro-Japanese collaborator, was "on the same side as the independence movement because he asked Japan for help."

For those that don't know the controversy or what it is about:- (Short explanation)

The controversy began after Ha appeared on the KBS 2TV variety show "Problem Child in House" on Aug. 7 and said she came from a family that had produced doctors for four generations.

It was subsequently revealed that her great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, a physician during the Japanese colonial period, and details of his pro-Japanese activities surfaced.

Ha's side initially said the allegations were "groundless," drawing intense criticism. She eventually apologized on social media Wednesday, saying, "I apologize for causing great disappointment and hurt over matters related to my great-grandfather."

Source