Samsung and Ated Unlist Ha Young's Ads Amid Pro-Japanese Controversy; Anyang City Also Removes Post

As the controversy over actor Ha Young's family history of pro-Japanese activities spreads, companies that featured her in advertisements have gone on high alert, and local government authorities are also taking follow-up measures. Samsung and Ated have switched advertising videos featuring Ha Young to private, while the city of Anyang has also made posts about Ha Young's great-grandfather An Sang-ho—which the city's citizen reporter group had introduced as an 'independence activist'—private.

Measures are also following in the broadcasting industry. KBS suspended the VOD service for Ha Young's appearance on the controversial show 'Problematics in the House.' The 'YouTube Ha Ji-young' channel decided not to release recorded footage featuring Ha Young.

The incident began with remarks Ha Young made on a broadcast. Appearing on KBS2's 'Problematics in the House,' she introduced herself as coming from a family of doctors for four generations, explaining, "My great-grandfather was the first to open a clinic in Hanyang (Seoul) and treated Emperor Gojong."

In response, online communities pointed out that Ha Young's great-grandfather was An Sang-ho, a doctor with a history of pro-Japanese activities. According to a 1918 article in the Maeil Sinbo, An Sang-ho stated upon marrying a Japanese woman, "I am exactly the same as a Japanese person. I do not have a single piece of Korean clothing, and I cannot eat spicy food at all." The controversy intensified after it was revealed that his name was on the list of council members for the pro-Japanese group Daejeong Chinmokhoe in 1916.