{
  "id": 1446684,
  "title": "Website for identifying pro-Japanese ancestors emerges after Ha Young controversy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/website-for-identifying-pro-japanese-ancestors-emerges-after-ha-young-1446684",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T07:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260817/website-for-identifying-pro-japanese-ancestors-emerges-after-ha-young-controversy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new website has surfaced online to help individuals determine if they have ancestors who were classified as pro-Japanese collaborators, following the controversy surrounding actress Ha Young's great-grandfather. The platform, named \"Pro-Japanese Collaborator Scanner,\" has gained traction on social media since its launch on Monday. Users are able to input their family surname and ancestral clan, known as bongwan, to uncover if any members of their lineage were labeled as pro-Japanese collaborators. The website draws its data from the Digital Archives of Meritorious Persons, maintained by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, as well as records from the Presidential Committee for the Inspection of Collaborations for Japanese Imperialism, which lists 1,006 individuals identified as pro-Japanese collaborators.\n\nUpon searching for the Sunheung Ahn clan, which belongs to actress Ha Young, the website returns 25 independence activists, including prominent figures such as Dosan Ahn Chang-ho and Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun. Additionally, the search reveals three individuals categorized as collaborators.",
  "summary": "Amid growing criticism over the pro-Japanese activities of actress Ha Young’s great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho (1872–1927), a website has emerged that allows people to check whether they have ancestors who were identified as pro-Japanese collaborators. The website, called “Pro-Japanese Collaborator Scanner,” has been trending on social media since Monday. Users can enter their surname and ancestral…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Website for identifying pro-Japanese ancestors emerges after Ha Young controversy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/website-for-identifying-pro-japanese-ancestors-emerges-after-ha-young",
        "published": "2026-08-17T07:47:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}