Actor Ha Young issued a public apology following mounting controversy over her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.

On Tuesday, her agency, Bistus Entertainment, released a statement on behalf of the actor, whose real name is Ahn Ha-young, expressing deep regret for her hasty initial denial and her previous on-air remarks about her family's four-generation medical lineage.

"Regarding our earlier statement claiming the allegations were 'groundless,' a secondary verification confirmed that the name of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, indeed appears on the 1916 counselor roster of the Daejeong Friendship Association," the agency said.

"Ha Young feels a heavy heart for unintentionally causing controversy, and we sincerely apologize for causing confusion by dismissing the claims without thorough investigation."

The controversy erupted after Ha appeared on a KBS talk show on Aug. 7, where she spoke proudly of her family's medical background. During the show, she said her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan, opened the nation’s first private Western clinic in Seoul, and even treated Emperor Gojong (1852-1919).

Internet users quickly identified her great-grandfather as Ahn Sang-ho, who became the first Korean to get a Japanese medical license in 1902, and brought up his past pro-Japanese records.

According to a December 1918 article in Maeil Sinbo, an official newspaper of the Japanese colonial government in Korea, Ahn was quoted as saying that his household was "completely assimilated," wearing Japanese clothes, marrying a Japanese woman and prohibiting the Korean language at home. The colonial government actively used his quotes as a model case for its colonial policy aimed at unifying Japan and Korea as one body.

Records also showed Ahn was involved with the Daejeong Friendship Association, a business organization founded in 1916 by notorious pro-Japanese collaborators such as Lee Wan-yong and Song Byeong-jun.

The criticism also spread to her late grandfather, Ahn Boo-ho, a former medical professor who worked at Sorokdo National Hospital in the late 1940s and early 1950s. While that period saw serious human rights abuses against Hansen's disease patients, there is no evidence that he was directly involved.

"Both the agency and Ha Young have deeply realized how important verification process is when sharing historical facts with the public," Bistus Entertainment added. "She will approach her career with a more cautious and humbler attitude from now on.”

Ha made her debut in the 2019 drama "Dr. Prisoner" and gained recognition through "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." She recently starred in the 2025 Netflix series "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" and currently appears in the Netflix series “Our Sticky Love” with actor Jung Hae-in.