Firestorm Over ‘Pro-Japanese’ Controversy In Actor HaYoung’s Great-Grandfather Spills to Anyang City as It Hides Independence Activist Post From 6 Years Ago

A backlash has erupted over allegations that actor ‘HaYoung’’s (33; real name Ahn HaYoung) great-grandfather, ‘Ahn SangHo’ (1872~1927), collaborated with Japan as a pro-Japanese figure. In response, the ‘Anyang City’ in Gyeonggi Province moved abruptly to make official blog posts about him as an independence activist private six years after they were published, and HaYoung—who became the focus of the controversy—bowed his head to the public.

A pro-Japanese figure disguised as an independence activist, an ‘administrative farce’ exposed by the city after 6 years

According to ‘Anyang City’ on the 13th, the post in question was part of a series titled ‘Finding Independence Activists of Anyang City’, planned by a citizen reporter group to mark the 75th anniversary of Liberation in 2020. The article praised ‘Ahn SangHo’ as one of the independence activists representing the region, but the controversy erupted after his ‘pro-Japanese activities’ were clearly revealed through historical records. After criticism poured in, the city reversed course and fully switched the article published on its Naver official blog on the 11th to private access. A city official said, “It was a painful misstep in that, during the writing process at the time, we failed to cross-verify his pro-Japanese record,” adding that the city moved to contain the situation.

Ironically, the spark for the latest uproar came from a broadcast. Earlier, HaYoung appeared on the KBS 2TV variety program ‘Problematic Son of the Attic Room’, which aired on the 7th, and introduced himself with pride as a “family of doctors that has continued for four generations.” But right after the show aired, netizens revealed that his great-grandfather was the doctor ‘Ahn SangHo’ who had been active during the Japanese colonial period, bringing his previously buried past activities to the surface.

Historical records were unforgiving. ‘Ahn SangHo’ had previously served as a standing councilor for ‘Daedjong Chinguhoe’, identified as a representative pro-Japanese organization in 1916. A look at a 2007 paper titled ‘Daedjong Chinguhoe and the Naeseon Yunghwa Movement’ by Jang Sin, a standing research fellow at the Institute for Historical Issues, shows that in 1927, the Government-General of Korea’s police bureau categorized the group as a ‘Naeseon Yunghwa organization’ aimed at “absolutely endorsing colonial rule and pursuing the fusion of the Naeseon people.” This is decisive evidence that he went beyond being a mere medical professional and actively collaborated with Japan’s colonial governance.

In the end, in the face of historical truth, HaYoung conceded defeat. As the controversy spread beyond control, he posted an apology on his social networking service (SNS the day before, saying, “As a descendant, I sincerely apologize,” and sharing the anguish he felt. The episode became a sweeping ‘butterfly effect’ in which a personal family brag turned into exposing the city’s inadequate administration.