Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities says actor Ha Young's great-grandfather 'clearly pro-Japanese,' urges reflection

The Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities said Friday that actor Ha Young's great-grandfather An Sang-ho had a clear record of pro-Japanese collaboration and urged Ha to reflect on and acknowledge that history.

In a statement released Friday, the institute said the core of the controversy was "a problem of absent historical awareness and reflection" — specifically, that Ha had made public remarks about her ancestor's colonial-era record without the minimum degree of historical reflection, causing pain to the public.

The institute identified the Daejeong Chinmok-hoe, a fraternal society in which An was listed as a council member, as an unambiguous pro-Japanese organization. It was formed around prominent collaborators such as Yi Wan-yong and Min Yeong-hwi to promote the Japanese imperial policy of "naeseon yunghwa," or the assimilation of Korea into Japan.

Responding to claims that An's absence from the institute's Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators made it difficult to classify him as a collaborator, the institute rebuffed that argument. It said his exclusion reflected the selection criteria in place at the time of publication and that "not being listed cannot serve as absolution."

The institute said "the project of documenting historical records is not a completed product but an ongoing academic endeavor that continues through the discovery and verification of historical materials," and said scholarly verification must continue on the basis of newly confirmed primary sources.

The institute then urged Ha to offer "humble reflection on the attitude of glorifying an ancestor's wrongdoing without introspection or consuming it uncritically."

Ha had revealed on the KBS 2TV variety program "Problem Child in House," which aired Aug. 7, that her family had produced doctors for four generations. Her great-grandfather was subsequently identified as An Sang-ho, a physician who practiced during the Japanese colonial period, and allegations of pro-Japanese collaboration began circulating online.

As the allegations spread, Ha and her co-star Jung Hae-in canceled promotional interviews for their upcoming Netflix series "I Hate You, But I Love You," among other fallout.

Samsung Electronics and the clothing brand Artid, both of which Ha had appeared in as a model, made their advertising videos private. "Problem Child in House," the episode in which Ha had spoken about her great-grandfather, suspended its replay service and set its YouTube clips to private.

As the controversy continued, Ha posted a handwritten apology on social media Wednesday, saying she "sincerely apologizes as a descendant."