Historical record links actor Ha Young's great-grandfather to allegations he poisoned Emperor Gojong

An official local history document from Gunpo has been confirmed for the first time to record that Ahn Sang-ho — a physician and the great-grandfather of actor Ha Young — was among those implicated in allegations that Emperor Gojong was poisoned.

The document states that Ahn was suspected of having administered poison to the emperor at the instigation of Japanese individuals at the time of Gojong's death.

However, no evidence has emerged establishing that he actually took part in any poisoning.

According to a recent report by Weekly Kyunghyang, a local history volume titled "Place Name Origins and Clan Histories of Gunpo," held at the National Archives and other institutions, lists Ahn as the first modern figure featured under the section "Notable People of Gunpo."

The document is an academic survey report on local historical materials commissioned by Gunpo from the Institute of Traditional Culture Contents at Kyonggi University and published in February 2004.

While describing Ahn's career as a royal physician and his operation of a private clinic, the report also addresses the poisoning allegations that surfaced immediately after Gojong's death in 1919.

The document states that Ahn and others were suspected of having presented poison to Gojong at the direction of Japanese individuals.

It adds a caveat, however, noting that a lack of supporting materials makes it difficult to render any definitive judgment on the matter.

The theory that Gojong was poisoned has never been historically verified. Rumors of poisoning spread widely in the immediate aftermath of his sudden death in 1919 and are believed to have influenced public sentiment in the lead-up to the March 1st Independence Movement.

What is clear is that the Gunpo local history's account differs markedly from descriptions in Anyang regional histories, which characterize Ahn as a figure with a strong anti-Japanese national consciousness.

After controversy over Ahn's pro-Japanese activities surfaced, Anyang made the relevant post private on Aug. 11.

Public scrutiny of Ahn's past began after Ha Young made remarks about him on a television broadcast.

On Aug. 7, Ha Young appeared on KBS 2TV's "Oktapbang-ui Munje-a," a TV quiz program, and said, "My great-grandfather was the first doctor to open a Western medicine practice in Hanyang after studying modern medicine in Japan, and he even treated Emperor Gojong."

Ahn has since been confirmed to have appeared on the council member roster of the Daejeong Chinmok-hoe, a "fraternal association," which was a pro-Japanese organization formed in Seoul in 1916. The group drew businesspeople, government officials, journalists, educators, lawyers and medical professionals, with Yi Wan-yong — one of the five ministers who signed the Eulsa Treaty — serving as a central figure.

It also emerged that Ahn was among the medical team that treated Yi Wan-yong after Yi was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by independence activist Lee Jae Myung.

Records have also surfaced showing Ahn's involvement in a committee preparing a memorial for Ito Hirobumi during the Japanese colonial period, along with claims that his wife was the daughter of a senior Japanese military officer stationed at the Japanese Government-General of Korea.

It has further been confirmed that in the early years of the Japanese colonial period, Ahn acquired land totaling several thousand pyeong — roughly 3,300 to 9,900 square meters — near railways and roads in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and surrounding areas.