Actor Ha Young issued a public apology following mounting controversy over her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. On Tuesday, her agency, Bistus Entertainment, released a statement on behalf of the actor, whose real name is Ahn Ha-young, expressing deep regret for her hasty initial denial and her previous on-air remarks about her family's four-generation medical lineage. "Regarding our earlier statement claiming the allegations were 'groundless,' a secondary verification confirmed that the name of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, indeed appears on the 1916 counselor roster of the Daejeong Friendship Association," the agency said. "Ha Young feels a heavy heart for unintentionally causing controversy, and we sincerely apologize for causing confusion by dismissing the claims without thorough investigation." The controversy erupted after Ha appeared on a KBS talk show on Aug. 7, where she spoke proudly of her family's medical background. During the show, she said her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan, opened the natio