"How much money did she have...?" Ha Young's mother’s 'KRW 200 million safe' remark and 1970s overseas study history resurface

[Financial News] Actress Ha Young has apologized after acknowledging the pro-Japanese activities of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho. Now, an old interview with her mother, Lee Mi-sook, the CEO of Coremed, is drawing renewed attention.
Online users have recently revisited remarks Lee made in a 2011 interview with Digital Times, along with her past history of overseas study.
At the time, Lee said, "As I have lived, I realized that money is not everything. I used to be tempted to earn a lot of money, but not anymore."
She added, "I once kept KRW 100 million in a safe for a long time. Having cash in the safe all the time made me feel full for no reason." She continued, "The next time, I put KRW 200 million in it, but after that, I did not really feel much difference."
Lee went on to say, "I do not think money needs to be that abundant. It is enough if you can live a somewhat comfortable life." She added, "I no longer dream of a big windfall. I also do not insist on a KOSDAQ listing anymore."
Lee's background has also attracted attention. She majored in nursing and reportedly went abroad in the 1970s to study industrial design for about five years. After returning to Korea, she lectured on industrial design theory for more than 15 years at Kookmin University and other institutions. She later worked as an editor-in-chief at a medical journal and as an administrative director at a general hospital before running Coremed, a company specializing in the convergence of medical and IT technologies.
The 1970s were a time when overseas study was not easy for ordinary families because of government restrictions, foreign-exchange conditions, and high costs.
Against that backdrop, online users reacted by saying, "If she was able to study abroad for five years back then, she must have needed considerable wealth," and "I am also curious about how the family's assets were built." However, the interview did not confirm who paid for Lee's overseas study or what the family's financial background was.
Lee's past interview has come back into the spotlight after her daughter Ha Young recently revealed details about the family history.
Earlier, Ha Young had said on a broadcast that she came from a family of doctors spanning four generations and proudly introduced a family story in which her great-grandfather had treated Emperor Gojong of Korea.
It was later revealed that her great-grandfather was Ahn Sang-ho, and controversy erupted after records showed that he served as a council member of the pro-Japanese Daejeong Friendship Association in 1916.
It also became known that Ha Young's grandfather, Ahn Bu-ho, had worked at Sorokdo National Hospital in the past. His period of employment overlapped with a time when human rights abuses, including forced isolation, sterilization, and abortions targeting Hansen's disease patients, were taking place. However, it has not been confirmed that he was directly involved in those acts.
As the controversy grew, Ha Young's father explained in a media interview that he had believed the great-grandfather had assisted Prince Imperial Ui, who had resisted Japanese rule. However, he drew further criticism by referring to Japan's forced annexation of the Korean Empire as the "Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910."
In the end, Ha Young issued a handwritten apology on the 12th, saying, "I had spoken about my great-grandfather as if it were a family source of pride, while being ignorant of the facts." She added, "While directly looking into the related materials, I learned of my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities. As a descendant, I sincerely apologize."
[email protected] An Ga-eul Reporter