[Sportschosun reporter Jo Min-jung] The controversy over actor Ha Young’s great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities continues to show little sign of fading. The fallout has already begun, with an interview canceled and promotional content withheld, but there has been no clear change yet in her upcoming projects. The second season of her breakout series, "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," which is scheduled to begin filming in October, is expected to become another test of Ha Young’s future path.
Ha Young recently came under fire after reports surfaced about her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities. The controversy began after she introduced her family on several broadcasts as a "fourth-generation family of doctors." In particular, she proudly described family history saying that her great-grandfather studied medicine in Japan, opened a Western-style clinic in Hanyang, and treated Emperor Gojong of Korea.
The situation changed sharply after her great-grandfather was identified as a doctor and his activities during the Japanese colonial period were brought back into focus. Ha Young’s team initially denied the allegations, saying they were untrue, but later corrected that position after further confirmation. Ha Young also released a handwritten apology on the 12th. She said she had only known fragments of her great-grandfather’s life through stories passed down by her family, and added, "While looking into the related materials myself through this incident, I learned about my great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities." She then bowed her head, saying she regretted mentioning her family history lightly without fully understanding the painful history of the Japanese colonial period.
The controversy has also affected some of Ha Young’s entertainment activities. She had originally been scheduled to meet reporters on the 14th to mark the release of Netflix’s series "Our Sticky Love," but the interview was canceled. Jung Hae-in, who was also set to take part in the interview, had his schedule canceled as well. Promotional content featuring Ha Young, which Netflix had previously announced in advance, was also not released. Some brand advertisement videos featuring Ha Young as a model were also made private.
Even so, "Our Sticky Love," which has already been released, continues to perform strongly worldwide. According to Netflix’s official Top 10 rankings, the series, which premiered on the 7th, recorded 3.2 million views in its first week and entered No. 5 in the global non-English TV category. Total viewing time reached 37.9 million hours.
While the controversy has affected promotional activities, there have been no major changes so far to Ha Young’s scheduled acting projects.
Filming for SBS’s new drama "The Long Shot Trial," in which Ha Young appears, is already well underway. The production team recently said it is closely monitoring the situation surrounding Ha Young, but filming is continuing for now.
Attention is now turning to the sequel to "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," the project that helped make Ha Young a breakout star.
In "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," Ha Young played nurse Cheon Jang-mi on the trauma team, appearing alongside Ju Ji-hoon and Choo Young-woo. The series’ global success also brought Ha Young widespread attention. Filming for season 2 is being discussed for October. Ha Young is also expected to join the new season with the existing main cast. It was also reported that director Lee Do-yun, who helmed "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," liked Ha Young’s handwritten apology shortly after the controversy broke.
So far, no official changes have been announced regarding Ha Young’s appearance in "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call 2." Whether public opinion over the next two months will affect her participation is now a key point of interest. In particular, since "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" is both the work that greatly raised Ha Young’s profile and one of Netflix’s global hits, attention is likely to remain focused on whether she will join season 2 and how the filming process unfolds.
Despite the apology, additional historical debate and criticism continue. Public sentiment surrounding Ha Young will be closely watched until filming for "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call 2" begins two months from now.
Jo Min-jung mj.cho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
