All of them are in the spotlight for their honorable lineage.
On August 15, 2026, Korea celebrated its 81st Liberation Day, commemorating its liberation from 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. This year, many celebrities’ past connections to the freedom struggle of the country have been at the center of attention, following a major scandal involving actress Ha Young‘s pro-Japanese family ties. Netizens have shifted their focus to appreciating celebrities with familial ties to those who contributed to the country’s liberation.
Here are a few celebrities who have gained renewed attention for being descendants of Korean freedom fighters:
1. Chungha
Singer Chungha received renewed attention after the truth about her honorable lineage resurfaced online. In a previous interview, she had revealed that her maternal grandfather was an independence activist who had also participated in the Gwangju Uprising. What particularly impressed netizens was Chungha’s attitude toward her lineage. Instead of talking about it publicly, the idol chose to honor it by studying and passing the level 1 certification test of the Korean History Proficiency Exam in 2023.
2. Hong Ji Min
Musical actress Hong Ji Min is a descendant of an independence activist, Hong Chang Sik, who belonged to the secret organization “Baekdusanhoe.” At the young age of 16, he carried out a mission to blow up Japanese military supplies. He was imprisoned for his activism and welcomed the liberation of Korea while incarcerated. According to Hong Ji Min, her father concealed his activism from his family, fearing ideological conflicts. It wasn’t until he received the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1977 that she became aware of his past.
3. Yoon Joo Bin
Actor Yoon Joo Bin is the grand-nephew of Dr. Yoon Bong Gil, a revered independence activist. In 1932, Yoon succeeded in bombing a Japanese celebration ceremony in Shanghai’s Hongkou Park that marked the Japanese emperor’s birthday, as well as a military victory. He was arrested at the scene and subsequently executed. Netizens noted that Yoo Joo Bin never brought up his connection to Dr. Yoon for seven years after debuting. When asked the reason, he revealed that his family had strictly forbidden him from exploiting the honor of Dr. Yoon Bong Gil for commercial gain. This familial tie was revealed on the 100th anniversary of the 1919 March First Movement, when Yoon Joo Bin was asked to read the letter that freedom fighter Shim Hoon had written to his mother from prison.
4. Park Hwan Hee
Actress Park Hwan Hee is the granddaughter of Ha Jong Jin, an independence activist who joined the liberation struggle through distributing Korean flags during the 1919 March First Movement. He later led the Daegu High School strike movement and was imprisoned at the Seodaemun Prison in 1923. Ha Jong Jin was involved in leading multiple strike movements throughout his life, and he was arrested again while trying to blow up major government offices in Daegu. In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation.
5. Kim Ji Seok
Actor Kim Ji Seok‘s grandfather was Kim Sung Il, a well-known independence activist in Korean history. Kim Sung Il joined the Independence Volunteers’ Corps at the age of 14 and raised funds for the armed struggle against colonial rule. He was arrested shortly after Yoon Bong Gil’s Hongkou Park incident and was tortured in captivity. In 2015, he received the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 2015.
6. Lee Seo Jin
Actor Lee Seo Jin is the great-grandson of Korean independence activist Seokju Lee Sang Ryong. History remembers him as a fighter who gave up his entire family fortune and ancestral estate to fund and build resistance bases against Japanese colonial rule. In recognition of his contribution to nation-building, the Korean government posthumously awarded him the Republic of Korea Foundation Medal in 1962, thirty years after his death.
7. Yi Chen
Yi Chen, a member of the project boy group MODYSSEY, is a descendant of independence activist Ahn Jung Geun. During his appearance on an idol survival show, Yi Chen had revealed that his great-great-grandfather was Ahn Myung Geun, the cousin of Ahn Jung Geun. Both had fought shoulder to shoulder for Korea’s independence. While Ahn Joong Geun was responsible for the assassination of Itō Hirobumi, the then-Japanese Resident-General, Ahn Myung Geun was arrested for being the ringleader of the plans to raise funds for the assassination of Governor-General Terauchi.