'Descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator' Ha Young sees unexpected surge in popularity..Followers increase by 200,000 → 'Such Damn Love' tops the charts [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Ha Young (real name Ahn Ha-young), who has been engulfed in controversy over her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, has experienced an unexpected rise in public recognition.

As of 3 p.m. on the 19th, Ha Young's SNS followers stood at approximately 1.249 million. Compared to just a week ago when she surpassed one million, her follower count increased by more than 200,000 in just a few days.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for the sudden surge in followers over such a short period. However, it appears that public interest has grown as Ha Young's name has been repeatedly in the news due to the controversy surrounding her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities.

Ironically, while the controversy has brought attention to her name, it has also sparked interest in her acting projects. The Netflix series 'Such Damn Love,' in which Ha Young starred, continues to achieve global success even in its second week of release. According to Netflix Tudum, 'Such Damn Love' ranked first among the top 10 non-English TV shows globally during the third week of August (August 10–16). The series recorded 7.5 million views during that period. Viewership numbers are calculated by dividing total viewing time by the show's total runtime.

Ultimately, while Ha Young is currently in the public eye due to unfavorable news, she is simultaneously boosting her SNS followers and the buzz around her acting projects, thereby etching her name into the public consciousness.

Meanwhile, on the the 7th broadcast of KBS 2TV's variety program 'Problem Children in the Attic,' Ha Young revealed that she comes from a family of doctors spanning four generations. She explained, "My great-grandfather studied traditional Korean medicine in Japan and was the first doctor to open a clinic in Hanyang," adding that he "Ko Jong (황제) even provided medical services."

However, following the broadcast, past pro-Japanese activities of Ahn Sang-ho, identified as Ha Young's great-grandfather, were re-examined online, sparking controversy.

In response, Ha Young's agency issued a statement on the 10th regarding the allegations of pro-Japanese collaboration surrounding Ahn Sang-ho, initially claiming they were "baseless." However, the agency reversed its position just one day later. On the 11th, the agency stated, "We have confirmed that records exist showing Ahn Sang-ho's name on the list of council members of the 1916 Daetong Friendship Association. We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily responding with 'baseless' without sufficient verification."

Ha Young also posted a handwritten apology on Instagram, stating, "I spoke about my great-grandfather as if it were a family boast without proper knowledge. The fact that I was unaware does not justify ignoring or trivializing history. I deeply accept this fault and sincerely apologize as his descendant."

Meanwhile, 'Such Damn Love' is a romantic comedy depicting the sweet and sticky cohabitation of Go Eun-sae (played by Ha Young), a prosecutor with amnesia, and Jang Tae-ha (played by Jung Hae-in), who insists on being her self-proclaimed boyfriend. Jung Hae-in, who shared the screen with Ha Young, is known to be a direct descendant of Jeong Hak-yu, the second son of the renowned scholar Jeong Yak-yong (also known as Dasan).

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*This content was translated by AI.