Actress Ha Young’s revelation of belonging to a family with four generations of doctors has delivered another damning blow to her public image, and this time, the reason is her grandfather.
Unraveling Ha Young’s Family Past: The Sorokdo Connection
After discovering that Ha Young was the great-granddaughter of Ahn Sang Ho, a pro-Japanese historical figure, netizens started digging more into her family history. This led to another shocking discovery about her grandfather, who worked as a doctor at the Sorokdo National Hospital, a facility known for its gross human rights violations against Hansen’s disease patients in the past.
Ha Young’s agency recently confirmed that her grandfather, Ahn Bu Ho, was a professor and a department head at the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine. But netizens figured out that he was also conducting research on Hansen’s disease at the Sorokdo Hospital between 1949 and 1954. At that time, the hospital was involved in human rights violations against patients, including forced sterilization, forced abortions, and forced labor. A 2005 report by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea had stated that Sorokdo Hospital performed 1,191 vasectomies on patients between 1949 and 1958. The hospital also implemented a policy allowing couples to live together only after the men had undergone vasectomies.
A Legacy of Abuse: The Horrors of Sorokdo Hospital
According to reports, some questionable experiments were also performed on patients, including inserting needles into patients’ chests to extract bone marrow samples. Not only was the procedure extremely painful, but some reportedly died from rapid health decline following these experiments. Additionally, patients’ bodies were also used for anatomical dissection practice without the consent of the bereaved families. These autopsies continued until the 1960s, and forced abortions and sterilizations until the 1980s. Notably, a cure for Hansen’s disease was already developed in the 1940s, but the human rights abuses at Sorokdo persisted for decades afterward.
Public Reaction and Continued Backlash
Although there is no evidence suggesting Ahn Bu Ho was directly involved in these human rights abuses, given his tenure at the establishment, and the fact that he is listed as the ‘Chief of the Medical Department at the National Sorokdo Rehabilitation Center’ in the hospital records, netizens find it unlikely that he was unaware of the situation.
내일 광복절인데 또 핵폭탄 터진 하영
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>하영의 친조부 “소록도 의료 총책임자”였다고
>고 안부호 교수는 소록도에서 단순히 한센병을 연구한 의사가 아니었음
>경력으로 ‘국립소록도갱생원 의무과장’으로 표기됨
>지시했다는 증거는 없지만 의료조직의 책임자였다는 정황이..
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진짜 이대로라면… https://t.co/j7fmdHLITs pic.twitter.com/OLXdlF9N4N— 주팅스타 (@jutingstar9999) August 14, 2026
This discovery has sparked further backlash against the actress’s family, inevitably causing additional damage to Ha Young’s public image.
— my.Lee (@iancoool) August 14, 2026
A family that is evil to the core.
— The post above
이딴가문이 아직까지 떵떵거리면서 잘살고있었다는게 존나 괴담임 https://t.co/8n8HIXTjl8
— 엣헴 (@LfU4IOhpfK50869) August 14, 2026
It’s absolutely horrifying that a family like that has been living high on the hog all this time.
— The post above
이정도면 조상님이 저지른 벌
하영이 받는거네….
나쁜 짓은 저지르면 반드시 돌아오는 이유
지금 현생엔 문제 없어도
자손까지 피해간다. 정직하게 살자. https://t.co/H0uOYdRZsn— 동글이 (@hyeoni0619) August 14, 2026
At this point, it looks like Ha Young is paying the price for the misdeeds of her ancestors…This shows why doing bad things inevitably comes back to haunt you…Even if there are no consequences in your own lifetime, the harm extends to your descendants. Let’s live honestly.
— The post above
그렇게 쌓아올린 부를 자랑하는 저 집안도 진짜 대박 염치뒤진듯.. https://t.co/uyvoPOpfCF
That family, flaunting the wealth they’ve amassed like that…They are seriously, incredibly shameless.
— The post above
New Wave of Criticism After Apology
Meanwhile, after Ha Young penned a letter apologizing for her ignorance about her family history, a new wave of criticism was directed against her over a supposed relative’s post.
