Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather: Wealthy tycoon or pro-Japanese collaborator?

As controversy surrounding the pro-Japanese activities of actress Oh Ha-young's great-grandfather, An Sang-ho, continues to spread, claims that he was a "wealthy tycoon" possessing vast amounts of land in the Anyang area during the Japanese colonial period are gaining renewed attention. In particular, as records emerge showing that his descendants donated large tracts of land to the region after liberation, a debate is unfolding over how to view the two sides of his legacy: the formation of immense wealth and its subsequent social contribution.

The core of the controversy lies not only in An Sang-ho's pro-Japanese actions but also in his socio-economic position at the time.

The Maeil Sinbo, a publication of the Government-General of Korea, reported An Sang-ho's death on January 5, 1928, introducing him as a physician who served as a royal doctor to Emperor Gojong. The article reportedly stated that after opening a hospital, An Sang-ho became self-made and accumulated significant wealth, being called a "tycoon" who owned substantial land in Anyang-ri, Siheung-gun.

Notably, records show that tenant farmers working his land even erected a monument to honor his virtues. This indicates that An Sang-ho was more than just a practicing physician; he was a landlord with significant economic power in the Anyang region at the time.

His family history also reflects the era's social landscape.

The Maeil Sinbo introduced An Sang-ho as a "pioneer" who formed a family with a Japanese woman, having four sons and three daughters. From a modern perspective, this is not merely a family history but a record that must be interpreted within the context of the Japanese Empire's assimilation policies and the "Naisen Ittai" (Japan and Korea are one) discourse, making it highly controversial.

An Sang-ho's economic foundation is known to have continued into subsequent generations.

His son, An Jong-ho, also received medical training, operated a dental clinic in Anyang, and later entered the business world. In particular, it is noted that the An Jong-ho family was a landlord holding significant land in the Anyang area after liberation, and records suggest they contributed to the establishment of a school by donating land in the Anyang 3-dong area in 1947.

It is also reported that they later provided land for childcare facilities in the Anyang area and invested personal funds into the construction of the Anyangcheon stream embankment after the Korean War.

This is where the controversy becomes complex.

On one hand, there was the economic foundation of An Sang-ho's family, who held massive amounts of land in the Anyang area during the Japanese colonial period; on the other hand, there are records of his descendants returning significant wealth to the local community after liberation.

Therefore, concluding that "because there were pro-Japanese activities, all the descendants' wealth is a result of pro-Japanese actions" is a matter that requires separate historical verification. The process of wealth acquisition, its scale, inheritance relations, and changes after liberation must each be confirmed through data.

What is drawing even more interest in this controversy is the circumstance where Oh Ha-young's family mentioned their economic status and medical lineage on past broadcasts. As comments ranging from stories about having multiple refrigerators to emphasizing the family's medical tradition resurface online, these remarks—which were once simple boasts about their family—are sparking new controversy when coupled with the great-grandfather's historical actions.

In particular, claims are spreading online that an individual presumed to be a descendant of An Sang-ho left posts to the effect of saying, "Our family has lived well for generations," raising questions about the process of wealth formation. However, whether the author and content of these online posts are actually statements from a real descendant of An Sang-ho requires separate verification.

Another point of contention is the claim that Anyang City classified An Sang-ho as an "independence activist" during the process of introducing him. This part also requires cross-referencing official administrative data with historical records to confirm the exact facts.

Furthermore, as claims arise that the monument mentioned in relation to An Sang-ho was classified as a remnant of pro-Japanese culture in Gyeonggi-do's materials regarding pro-Japanese cultural vestiges, the debate has moved to the center of how the local community should remember and evaluate the merits of historical figures.

Ultimately, the core of this issue is not whether he was "rich," but rather examining under what historical conditions that wealth was formed and what position he held in the society of that time.

If An Sang-ho had pro-Japanese activities, they must be strictly evaluated through historical data. At the same time, the descendants' wealth and their donations to the local community must be verified as separate facts. To automatically pass responsibility to descendants simply because of pro-Japanese ties, or conversely, to dilute the actions of an ancestor due to the descendants' donations, both risk oversimplifying historical judgment.

Above all, this controversy is noteworthy because it goes beyond the family history of a celebrity, resurfacing an old issue in modern Korean history: how wealth and social prestige accumulated during the colonial period were passed down and remembered after liberation.