Writer So Jae-won tells actor Ha Young to visit Sorokdo over pro-Japanese ancestor controversy

Writer So Jae-won. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) provided]

Writer So Jae-won has again criticized actor Ha Young over allegations surrounding her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, saying, "If you are so proud of your ancestors, go visit Sorokdo."

On Tuesday, So posted on Instagram that she wanted to share a reporting experience from her 2014 visit to Sorokdo, writing that she did so "carefully, and with great care, in response to her unbearably light boasting about her family."

So wrote that her first impression of the island — whose name means "small deer" — was that it was beautiful, but added: "Before long, my eyes were soaked in a stream of tears I could not stop, and I had to reproach myself for having marveled at the island's scenery even for a moment."

She went on to say that Sorokdo represents "a history that can never be called proud, whether under Japanese colonial rule or in the Republic of Korea," explaining that "for an ordinary person, medicine was the art of saving lives, but on Sorokdo it was the art of killing."

So asked pointedly: "Even now, the sterilization table soaked in blood and their body parts preserved in alcohol-filled jars on Sorokdo bear witness to that suffering — can you truly still say such things?"

She urged Ha Young to "confront the tragic history carried out there under Japanese colonial rule and by the Republic of Korea," and to "see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears just how much your careless words have diminished a precious sacrifice and a history full of injustice and grief."

In a separate post the same day, So wrote that Ha Young's remarks and the news coverage left her feeling "not so much angry as afraid." She added: "When we forget history, lies become truth like this," and warned that "in the place where treason withers, they will plant seeds of admiration."

So had also written Tuesday that "we now live in a world where even an ancestor with a pro-Japanese record has become something to brag about," adding: "To think I would live to see someone boasting about a pro-Japanese ancestor — isn't that the fault of our history's failure to hold collaborators accountable?"

The controversy began when Ha Young appeared on KBS 2TV's "Okdapbang-ui Munje-adul," a TV quiz show, and said her family had produced doctors for four generations, claiming her great-grandfather had treated Emperor Gojong. The allegations arose after her great-grandfather was identified as Ahn Sang-ho, prompting scrutiny of his past conduct.

Ha Young's side acknowledged that her great-grandfather was indeed Ahn Sang-ho but initially said claims of pro-Japanese activities were "groundless" — only to walk back that statement the following day.

Her agency, Beesters Entertainment, said Tuesday that "upon further verification, we have confirmed that a record does in fact exist showing that great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's name appeared on the list of council members of the Daejeonng Chinmokoe in 1916," and offered a sincere apology for "causing confusion by hastily responding with 'groundless' without sufficient verification."

So is the grandson of painter So Byeong-ho and wrote the original novel "I Was a Ten-Pro" in 2008, which was adapted into the film "Beastie Boys." She also wrote the source material for the films "Tunnel" and "Sowon," as well as the drama series "Goodbye to Goodbye."

dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com