Actor Ha-young's activities were put on hold amid controversy over her great-grandfather's service as a council member of a pro-Japanese organization, while actor Jung Haein's solo promotional efforts instead protected the show's promotional content.
As the Netflix series 'Our Sticky Love' was released, lead actors Jung Haein and Ha-young promoted the show across television and web variety programs. The two appeared together on KBS 2TV 'Problem Child in House', and Jung Haein appeared alone on web variety shows such as 'Salon Drip' and 'Yuin Radio' to promote the work.
But at the height of the promotional schedule, the situation quickly changed when records showed that Ha-young's great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, had served as a council member of the pro-Japanese organization Daejeong Chinmokhoe.
As the controversy spread, criticism toward Ha-young intensified, and the planned Our Sticky Love interview schedule was also canceled. After the pro-Japanese activity controversy surfaced, the replay service for Problem Child in House was suspended as well, and the fallout continued.
Meanwhile, the content in which Jung Haein appeared alone was largely unaffected. Jung Haein appeared on the YouTube channel 'Salon Drip' on the 11th and then appeared alone on 'Yuin Radio' on the 12th to talk about the work. Observers suggested that if the content had featured Ha-young alongside him, it might have been difficult to avoid consequences such as being made private; because his appearances were solo, those programs were able to continue being released as normal.
The controversy over Ha-young's great-grandfather's pro-Japanese actions emerged after the broadcast of Problem Child in House. At the time, Ha-young said she came from a "fourth-generation medical family," saying her great-grandfather, grandfather, father and older sister all worked in the medical field, and in that process her great-grandfather was identified as Ahn Sang-ho. Ahn Sang-ho showed pro-Japanese activities through articles published in the Maeil Sinbo, an organ of the Japanese general government, in 1918, and her agency initially said this was "groundless."
However, a day later the agency said, "After further checks, we confirmed that a record actually exists listing great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho in the 1916 council member roster of the Daejeong Chinmokhoe. We sincerely apologize for hastily replying that it was 'groundless' without sufficient verification and causing confusion. Ha-young recently, while appearing on a broadcast program, mentioned her family's four generations of medical service in response to a question. The actor herself feels very heavy-hearted that this unintentionally caused controversy. Through this incident, our company deeply realized how careful verification is needed when conveying historical facts and an individual's background to the public."
Ha-young also reflected on her actions, saying, "I only knew fragments of my great-grandfather's life from stories passed down through my family. Shamefully, in that ignorant state I brought up stories about my great-grandfather in various settings as if they were my family's pride," and she bowed her head, saying, "Through this incident, in the process of looking up related materials myself, I learned of my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese actions. I reflect on having lightly mentioned family history without properly understanding the painful time Korea went through during the Japanese colonial period."
In the end, after it was revealed that Ha-young's great-grandfather had been a council member of a pro-Japanese organization and her insufficient historical awareness was exposed, the industry moved to distance itself from her.
[photo] OSEN DB, video capture
[OSEN]