'Severe' Escapee Ha Young, 'There's a Chance' Only Creates Dilemma [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Ha Young (real name Ahn Ha-young) is dropping out of the sequel to the Netflix drama "Severe Trauma Center" amid controversy over her status as a descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator. However, the situation differs for the SBS drama "There's a Chance," which is nearing the end of filming, deepening the production team's dilemma.

A Netflix representative told StarNews on the 1st, "Respecting the actor's position, we have decided that Ha Young will not appear in the sequel to 'Severe Trauma Center.'" While Ha Young's departure from "Severe Trauma Center" has alleviated the burden caused by the controversy, the drama "There's a Chance," which has already nearly completed filming, finds itself in a difficult situation.

"There's a Chance" had already completed approximately 90% of its total filming when the controversy surrounding Ha Young erupted, and it is reported that filming is scheduled to conclude on the 3rd. At this point, completely reshooting Ha Young's scenes would require rescheduling the actor and staff, in addition to incurring significant additional production costs. It is essentially an unfeasible option.

In contrast, the sequel to "Severe Trauma Center" was scheduled to begin filming in October. Since filming has not yet started, replacing Ha Young with another actor is relatively straightforward. However, now that Ha Young has decided to drop out of the "Severe Trauma Center" sequel, public reaction has emerged asking, "Why didn't she drop out from 'There's a Chance'?"

Thus, there is regret over Ha Young's choice. Following the controversy, Ha Young issued an apology through her agency and also canceled a scheduled interview for the Netflix drama "What a Ridiculous Love." She never had the opportunity to personally address the controversy or state her position.

What Ha Young needed may not have been dropping out but confronting the issue head-on. Of course, even if she had responded directly, public opinion might not necessarily have shifted. Given that this was a sensitive matter involving pro-Japanese collaboration, it is entirely possible that criticism would have continued.

Nevertheless, the sequel to "Severe Trauma Center" had not yet begun filming. With significant time remaining until the work's release after starting production in October, Ha Young had ample opportunity to manage the controversy and regain trust.

However, rather than directly explaining and resolving the controversy herself, Ha Young chose to withdraw from the project. As a result, while the "Severe Trauma Center" sequel can minimize the burden caused by the controversy through actor replacement, "There's a Chance," which has already progressed significantly in filming, is left bearing the full weight of the practical burdens surrounding Ha Young's screen time.

Meanwhile, on August 7, Ha Young appeared on KBS 2TV's variety program "Problem Children Are Coming!" and revealed that she comes from a family of doctors for 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 practiced medicine "Ko Jong (황제)." However, after 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 August 10 regarding the allegations of pro-Japanese collaboration surrounding Ahn Sang-ho, claiming they were "baseless." However, the agency reversed its position just one day later. On the following day, August 11, the agency stated, "We have confirmed that records exist showing Ahn Sang-ho's name on the list of council members of the 1916 Daejeong Friendship Association. We sincerely apologize for causing confusion by hastily answering 'baseless' without sufficient verification."

Ha Young also posted a handwritten apology on Instagram, stating, "I brought up stories about my great-grandfather as if boasting about family in ignorance. The fact that I was unaware cannot be an excuse to ignore or trivialize history. I take this fault seriously and sincerely apologize as a descendant."

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*This content was translated by AI.