Ha Young Faces Backlash Over Family's Pro-Japanese Past; Lee Ji-ah Earns Praise for Transparency

South Korean actress Ha Young (하영) recently appeared on a variety show to promote her new drama, “My Sweet Mobster.” She had previously mentioned multiple times that she came from a “four-generation family of doctors.” However, her family background has recently come under scrutiny, with allegations surfacing that her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho (안상호), was involved in pro-Japanese activities. Past controversies involving her grandfather and her mother's previous remarks about flaunting wealth, including mentioning “200 million Korean won hidden in a safe,” have also resurfaced, fueling an ongoing controversy.

Despite Ha Young publicly issuing a handwritten apology, admitting to past mistakes in her words and actions, the controversy has not subsided. Instead, criticism has escalated from her past statements about her family background to demands for her withdrawal from her new drama, with some even calling for a complete ban on her entertainment activities.

As Ha Young’s family controversy continues to unfold, other Korean celebrities who previously faced similar issues due to their ancestors' alleged pro-Japanese activities have also been revisited by netizens. Notably, the family backgrounds and ancestral histories of actors Kang Dong-won (강동원) and Lee Ji-ah (이지아) have recently been compiled into videos circulating online. However, the reactions from Korean netizens to their situations differ significantly from the response to Ha Young.

First, Kang Dong-won's maternal great-grandfather, Lee Jong-man (이종만), served as the president of Daedong Mining and was accused of pro-Japanese activities, including donating war funds, leading to his inclusion in the “Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Figures.” In 2017, after Lee Jong-man's pro-Japanese history came to light, sparking controversy, Kang Dong-won personally issued a public apology. However, Kang Dong-won's maternal family is also descended from the independence activist Noh Won-pil (노원필), presenting a contrasting aspect of his family background.