Ha Young’s Agency Confirms Great-grandfather’s Identity And Denies Colonial-era Allegations

Ha Young’s Family Story Drew Historical Scrutiny, but What Has Actually Been Confirmed?

Actress Ha Young’s agency has confirmed the identity of her great-grandfather while denying online allegations that he engaged in pro-Japanese activities during Korea’s colonial period.

A representative of Bistus Entertainment told Sports Kyunghyang on Aug. 10 that the Ahn Sang-ho currently being discussed online was indeed Ha Young’s great-grandfather.

However, the agency added that the rumors concerning him were “groundless.”

The statement established the family relationship but did not provide a detailed historical rebuttal. When asked whether the denial also applied to specific colonial-era records being circulated online, the representative reportedly did not offer a clear answer.

That distinction is important. The agency has formally rejected the allegations, but the authenticity, wording and historical context of the individual documents cited online have not yet been publicly addressed point by point.

Ha Young’s Agency Denies Allegations Concerning Great-Grandfather Ahn Sang-ho / News1

How the Discussion Began

The controversy followed Ha Young’s appearance on the Aug. 7 episode of KBS2’s Problem Child in House.

While discussing the medical professionals in her family, Ha Young said that her great-grandfather was among the first physicians to establish a Western medical practice in Hanyang, the historical name associated with present-day Seoul.

She said he had studied medicine in Japan, opened an early Western-style clinic and participated in treating Emperor Gojong. Her comments were presented as family history that had been passed down to her, rather than the results of her own historical research.

Online users subsequently attempted to identify the physician and connected her description to Ahn Sang-ho. According to accounts now appearing in Korean media, Ahn studied Western medicine in Japan and was reportedly among the medical personnel involved when Gojong became critically ill in 1919.

The agency has now confirmed that this identification is correct.

The Colonial-Era Claims Remain Disputed

After Ahn’s identity began circulating, online posts claimed that a 1918 article published by Maeil Sinbo, a newspaper operated under the Japanese colonial authorities, contained remarks attributed to him that expressed identification with Japan.

Those claims became the basis for accusations that Ahn had engaged in pro-Japanese conduct. However, fragments or modern paraphrases shared through online communities are not sufficient by themselves to establish the full meaning of a century-old document.

Historical evaluation requires confirmation of the original article, its exact language, surrounding context and whether the quotation was accurately attributed. WIKIPICKY was unable to independently authenticate the original newspaper page corresponding to the wording circulating online.

For that reason, the alleged remark should not be presented as an established quotation without an accessible primary document or qualified historical analysis. At the same time, the agency’s general denial does not yet explain why the circulating material is inaccurate or misleading.

The responsible conclusion at this stage is therefore limited: Bistus Entertainment denies the allegations, while the specific historical records at the center of the dispute have not been publicly resolved in detail.

Ha Young’s Agency Denies Allegations Concerning Great-Grandfather Ahn Sang-ho / News1

Ha Young Is Not Accused of Any Personal Wrongdoing

The controversy concerns the reported activities of a relative who lived more than a century ago. No information presented in the dispute suggests that Ha Young had prior knowledge of contested historical material or intentionally misrepresented it.

Her comments focused on her family’s history in medicine and the practical advice she received while preparing to play trauma nurse Cheon Jang-mi in Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. She explained that medical professionals in her family helped her understand terminology, medications and the positioning of nurses during surgical scenes.

Public figures can reasonably be asked to correct inaccurate biographical claims, especially when those claims involve national history. They should not, however, be treated as personally responsible for the actions attributed to an ancestor.

What Would Clarify the Controversy

A more complete resolution would require the agency to specify which allegations it disputes and, if possible, provide historical evidence supporting its position.

It would also be useful for historians or archival institutions to examine the original Maeil Sinbo material rather than relying on screenshots and paraphrased social media posts. A person’s participation in colonial-era institutions, professional work and public statements can require more context than a single label conveys.

Until that examination is available, neither an unverified online claim nor a brief agency denial provides a complete historical account.

What is confirmed is that Ahn Sang-ho was Ha Young’s great-grandfather and that her agency rejects the allegations surrounding him. The meaning and reliability of the records cited against him remain questions requiring documentary evidence, not online speculation.