'Descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator' Ha Young sees rising controversy..SNS followers now at 1.35 million, gaining 100,000 in just one week [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Ha Young (real name Ahn Ha-young), after acknowledging his great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, has seen a steady increase in his SNS followers, drawing attention.

As of 2 p.m. on the 25th, Ha Young's Instagram followers surpassed 1.35 million. This marks an addition of 100,000 followers within one week after reaching 1.25 million on the 19th.

Ha Young's Instagram follower count had already reached 1 million around the 12th, a week prior to that period, and has since increased by over 100,000 each week.

Although Ha Young previously acknowledged his great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities and posted an apology, interest in him continues as the Netflix series "What a Ridiculous Love" achieves global success.

According to Netflix Tudum, "What a Ridiculous Love" ranked first in the Global Top 10 TV Shows (Non-English) category during the third week of August (August 10–16), following its release on the 7th, recording 7.5 million views during that period. According to FlixPatrol, "What a Ridiculous Love" ranked seventh in global TV show streaming rankings as of the 24th.

Despite the family controversy, Ha Young continues his activities vigorously. SBS drama "There Is Hope" is currently 90% complete, and Netflix series "Critical Care Center" Season 2 is scheduled to begin filming in October.

Meanwhile, Ha Young appeared on KBS 2TV's variety program "Problem Children in the Attic" broadcast on the 7th, revealing that his family has been a lineage of doctors for four generations. He explained, "My great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan and was the first doctor to open a clinic in Hanyang," adding that he "Ko Jong (황제) also treated patients." However, after the broadcast, past pro-Japanese activities of Ahn Sang-ho, known 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 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 there is indeed a record showing Ahn Sang-ho's name on the list of councilors for the 1916 Daejeong 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 pride without proper knowledge. The fact that I was unaware cannot be an excuse to ignore or trivialize history. I deeply accept this fault and sincerely apologize as a descendant."

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*This content was translated by AI.