Compiler of pro-Japanese collaborator dictionary says actor Ha-young's great-great-grandfather was a collaborator — but lack of remorse is the bigger problem

As Liberation Day approaches amid continuing controversy over the pro-Japanese activities of Ahn Sang-ho — the great-great-grandfather of actor Ha-young — Bang Hak-jin, secretary general of the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities and a contributor to the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators since 2009, said Thursday that "the pro-Japanese conduct is a fact, even though he was not included in the dictionary because he fell short of our listing criteria."

In an interview Thursday on YTN Radio's "Jang Seong-cheol's News Myeongdang," Bang explained why Ahn Sang-ho (1872–1927) — a physician featured in the Maeil Sinbo, the official organ of the Japanese Government-General of Korea, as a "model case of Naeseon ilche," and a member of the Daejeong Industrial Fraternal Society, a pro-Japanese organization, alongside Lee Wan-yong — was not included in the dictionary. "The dictionary lists people based solely on objective facts and primary sources," Bang said. "I think Ahn fell slightly short of our criteria."

Bang said the criteria for classifying someone as a pro-Japanese collaborator differ by field — literature, the military, the bureaucracy, the police and others. "The overarching standard is whether a person's pro-Japanese conduct was active, sustained and repeated — in plain terms, whether they did two pro-Japanese things when asked to do one," he said. "By that standard, Ahn falls a little short."

Bang nonetheless said "Ahn's pro-Japanese conduct remains a fact," and disclosed new details about its origins. "His earliest known pro-Japanese act dates to 1909, when Japanese colonial authorities in Gyeongseong held a memorial service for Ito Hirobumi after independence activist Ahn Jung-geun killed him — and Ahn Sang-ho's name appeared on the memorial preparatory committee."

Ahn Sang-ho subsequently joined the Gyeongseong Municipal Advisory Council, an advisory body to the governor-general, and the Dongminhoe, an organization aimed at obstructing anti-Japanese movements and promoting Naeseon yunghwa — the idea that Japanese and Koreans should form a single household.

"Compared with pro-Japanese collaborators who were active at the time, his conduct was somewhat less aggressive and less repetitive, so he did not meet the listing criteria and was not included," Bang said. "He can be called a pro-Japanese collaborator, but not to the degree that warrants inclusion in the dictionary."

Bang noted that the dictionary lists 4,389 people — a small fraction of the roughly 25 million Koreans who lived on the Korean Peninsula during the Japanese colonial period. "Elders often say that Japanese police officers, township heads and township clerks were truly vicious," he said, "but if we included township heads, clerks and police officers, the numbers would be enormous. The dictionary is meant to hold people historically accountable, which is why the criteria must be stricter."

On the criticism directed at descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators, Bang drew comparisons to the Starbucks Korea "Tank Day" event controversy and the Baejae High School incident.

"Just as we recognize that this kind of problem is not limited to students alone, Ha-young's attitude was not appropriate — but we also need to ask ourselves how much we reflect on our own history," Bang said, pointing to a broader lack of historical awareness across society.

He then quoted the late Im Jong-guk, a scholar who devoted his life to researching pro-Japanese collaborators: "The problem is not the pro-Japanese acts committed under Japanese colonial rule — the greater problem is the postwar reality in which there has been no reflection, reconciliation or repentance. If we do not thoroughly change this, talk of national discipline is empty. If we do not change this, we will remain shameful ancestors in the eyes of our nation."

Asked what advice he would give Ha-young if she sought his counsel, Bang said: "One actress initially said she felt wronged because her grandfather was listed as a pro-Japanese collaborator, but she ultimately came to us informally and researched his conduct together with us. She still reflects on her ancestor's actions whenever the opportunity arises." He added: "Celebrities are public figures — what they eat, how they sleep, what they think all influence the public. A public-minded attitude is necessary. I hope Ha-young uses this as an opportunity to grow into an even more mature and accomplished actor."