Broadcaster and former announcer Lee Hye-seong. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]
Broadcaster and former announcer Lee Hye-seong. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]

Broadcaster and former announcer Lee Hye-seong has addressed accusations that she defended pro-Japanese collaboration, which arose from a YouTube book review video she posted.

On Wednesday, Lee wrote on her Instagram that she was setting the record straight because her video had been "conveyed differently from what was intended," adding that she had summarized the key points "for those who find it difficult to watch the full video."

"To state my conclusion first: in the video, I said that none of us can be free from historical responsibility and that we must live carrying that responsibility," she wrote. "It means that even if I did not personally commit the act, I cannot turn away from the wrongs of my ancestors."

Lee said the controversy stemmed from a sentence that was actually a question posed in the book itself. She explained that the content came from a chapter in Professor Michael Sandel's "Justice: What Is the Right Thing to Do?" titled "Should we atone for the sins of our ancestors?" — a question commonly raised by those who oppose apologizing for historical wrongs, and one that Sandel himself argues against.

She added that the book also introduces the view of Professor Alasdair MacIntyre, which describes the attitude of "this happened before I was born, so it has nothing to do with me" as "moral shallowness." "I deeply agreed with this perspective, which is why I introduced it in the video," she said.

"Let me say this clearly once again. I have never defended pro-Japanese collaboration, nor have I ever expressed the opinion that 'we should not have to atone for the sins of our ancestors,'" Lee wrote. "That sentence was taken out of context and conveyed as if it were my personal view, and I am correcting that."

The backlash began after Lee posted a video on her YouTube channel Wednesday in which she said, "Recently, there was controversy after the pro-Japanese activities carried out by a public figure's great-grandfather during the Japanese colonial period came to light," before asking, "Should we atone for our ancestors' sins on their behalf? And further, should a nation apologize for the historical wrongs of the past?" Critics took those remarks as an endorsement of pro-Japanese sentiment.

Shortly after the controversy erupted, Lee posted a comment saying she had not made any personal statement of conviction, shared the relevant pages from the book, and asked viewers to watch the video in full.

The controversy traces back to actress Ha Young, who said on the KBS2 program "Okdapbang's Problem Children" in August that her family had produced doctors for four generations and that her great-grandfather had treated Emperor Gojong. Her great-grandfather was later identified as physician Ahn Sang-ho (1872–1927), and records showing he had been listed as a council member of the Daejeong Chinmok-hoe — a pro-Japanese organization — in 1916 drew renewed scrutiny.

Ha Young subsequently issued a handwritten apology, saying she had learned of her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities while searching through related materials herself, and offered "a sincere apology as a descendant." She then suspended her public activities.

Ha Young has stepped down from the follow-up season of the Netflix series "Trauma Center," and the scheduling of the SBS drama series "Seungsan Itseumnida," in which she had completed filming as the lead, has been indefinitely postponed.

Lee joined KBS in 2016 as a 43rd-class staff announcer and left in 2020 to work as a freelance broadcaster.


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