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Ha Young, from a “four-generation family of doctors,” on allegations of her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities: “I am indeed a descendant of Ahn Sang-ho, but…”

Ha Young: Great-Grandfather Ahn Sang-ho’s Pro-Japanese Activities Spark Controversy "I'm Not a Pro-Japanese Collaborator" "Checking for details"

Gim Ga Yeong
2026-08-10 16:11:22
[Edaily Starin Gim Ga Yeong Reporter] Actress Ha Young has addressed allegations that her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, collaborated with Japan.
Ha Young (Photo = News1)
A representative from Ha Young’s agency, Busters Entertainment, told Edaily on the 10th, “It is true that Ahn Sang-ho is Ha Young’s great-grandfather, but the claims circulating in online communities that he was a pro-Japanese collaborator are completely baseless.” Regarding the evidence cited online as proof of Ahn Sang-ho’s pro-Japanese activities, the representative explained that they are “currently verifying” the claims.
Recently, Ha Young appeared on KBS2’s *The Problem Children of the Attic* and revealed that she comes from a family of doctors spanning four generations. Ha Young stated, “My great-grandfather opened the first Western-style clinic in Hanyang and treated Emperor Gojong.”
Subsequently, suspicions arose in online communities that Ha Young’s great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho. Ahn Sang-ho studied Western medicine in Tokyo, Japan, and became the first Korean to open a Western-style hospital; he also treated members of the royal family. He is well known for having treated Emperor Gojong alongside a Japanese doctor when the emperor collapsed in 1919.
However, Ahn Sang-ho is also a figure suspected of pro-Japanese sympathies. According to an article published in the Maeil Shinbo in 1918, suspicions arose after it was reported that, upon marrying a Japanese woman, Ahn Sang-ho had said, “I am just like a Japanese person. I don’t own a single set of traditional Korean clothing, and I can’t eat spicy food at all.”
Ha Young, who made her debut in the 2019 drama *Doctor Prisoner*, has continued her acting career through dramas such as *The Odd Lawyer Woo Young-woo*, *Model Detective 2*, and *Lee Doo-na!*. Last year, she garnered attention both domestically and internationally for her portrayal of nurse Cheon Jang-mi in the drama *Trauma Center*. She recently starred as the lead character, Go Eun-sae, in *Such a Shitty Love*, which was released on Netflix.

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