Ha Young apologizes over great-grandfather’s colonial-era record in handwritten letter

Ha Young apologized Wednesday in a handwritten letter for speaking publicly about her great-grandfather as a point of family pride. 

The actor said she had done so without knowing the great-grandfather's record under Japanese colonial rule. 

"First, I bow my head in apology for the great disappointment and hurt caused by matters concerning my great-grandfather," the actor said in a handwritten letter, posted to her Instagram account on Wednesday.

This is Ha Young's first statement in her own words since the controversy began. 

Ha Young, best known for her role in the Netflix Series "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" (2025) and Netflix rom-com "Our Sticky Love," appeared on the KBS show "Problem Child in House" (2018–) on Friday and described the four generations of doctors in her family.

Her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan, opened one of the first Western clinics in Seoul and treated Emperor Gojong (1852-1919), the actor said herself on the program. Viewers identified him as An Sang-ho and shared records of his actions under Japanese colonial rule as a collaborator.

"Until now, I knew my great-grandfather's life only in fragments, from stories passed down through my family," she wrote. "Shamefully, in that ignorant state, I brought up stories about my great-grandfather in various settings as if they were a source of my family pride." 

Ha Young's agency, Bistus Entertainment, first denied such allegations on Monday, only to confirm An's record as a member of the Daejeong Chinmokhoe, a pro-Japanese organization, on Tuesday. 

"I also consider it my own failing that a mistaken position was conveyed without sufficient checking," she wrote. "I sincerely apologize for the greater confusion and hurt this caused."

The actor said her statement came late as she had hesitated over how to express her apology. She also fully admitted the responsibility as a descendant.

"I do not think the fact that I did not know can be a reason to look away from that history or to treat it lightly," she wrote. "I accept it with a heavy heart and apologize sincerely as a descendant."

"It weighs on me all the more that my shortcomings have caused concern at a time just before Liberation Day." 

Korea's Liberation Day falls on Aug. 15, a Saturday. 

The actor also pledged to study her family's history and the colonial period and to show respect for the independence activists and others who worked for Korea's liberation. 

"I will act on this, not just speak of it," she wrote.

A press interview for "Our Sticky Love" scheduled for Friday was also canceled on Tuesday. 

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]