Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Actress Ahn Ha-young apologises over great-grandfather's pro-Japanese ties
A famous actress from South Korea made a mistake and said sorry.
Her name is Ahn Ha-young, and she is 33 years old.
Her great-grandfather was a very famous doctor named Ahn Sang-ho.
He was the first Korean to get a Japanese medical licence many years ago.
People on the internet found out he was part of a group that wanted Korea to become like Japan.
This made many people in South Korea unhappy.
At first, the actress said the news about her great-grandfather was not true.
Later, she and her company checked old records and found out the news was true.
So she said sorry and felt very sad that her words caused a problem.
She will still star in a new drama called 'There's a Winning Chance' in 2027.
Ahn Ha-young apologised via her agency, Bistrus Entertainment, after initially denying her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese connection as 'groundless'.
Her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho (1872-1927) was a pioneer of modern Western medicine in Korea and the first Korean to obtain a Japanese medical licence in 1902.
A controversy began after she told the variety show Problem Child in House that her great-grandfather opened the first Western-style clinic in Hanyang and treated Emperor Gojong.
Documents identified Ahn Sang-ho as a 1916 council member of Daejeong Chinmokhoe, described in a 2007 research paper as a Japan-Korea assimilation organisation.
Bistrus Entertainment confirmed the 1916 councillor records existed and said the actress feels 'very heavy-hearted' about the controversy.
- Who
- Ahn Ha-young, a 33-year-old South Korean actress, and her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho (1872-1927), a pioneer of Western medicine in Korea.
- What
- Ha-young apologised after confirming that Ahn Sang-ho was listed as a 1916 council member of the pro-Japanese organisation Daejeong Chinmokhoe, reversing her earlier denial.
- When
- The controversy and apology occurred recently; Ahn Sang-ho's council membership dates to 1916, and he died in 1927.
- Where
- South Korea; Ahn Sang-ho opened the first Western-style clinic in Hanyang.
- Why
- Because Ha-young initially called the allegations 'groundless' before her agency confirmed the historical records actually existed.
- Actress
- Ahn Ha-young
- Age
- 33
- Great-grandfather
- Ahn Sang-ho (1872-1927)
- First Korean with a Japanese medical licence
- 1902
- Pro-Japanese organisation
- Daejeong Chinmokhoe (council member in 1916)
- Agency
- Bistrus Entertainment
- Recent Netflix drama
- Our Sticky Love
- Next drama
- There's a Winning Chance (2027), with Lee Jee-hoon