Ha Young Reportedly Breaks Down In Tears At The Set Of Her Drama Filming Following Pro-Japanese Ancestry Controversy

Ha Young (33, real name An Ha Young), confirmed to be a “descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator,” is reportedly having a difficult time filming her drama, according to a news outlet.

According to My Daily’s coverage on August 16th, Ha Young is currently filming the SBS drama “We Have A Chance,” set to air next year, despite the ongoing controversy surrounding her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese past.

According to the outlet’s source, Ha Young reportedly broke down in tears during filming on August 13th and was unable to control her emotions, eventually causing filming to be halted. After taking a few hours to rest and compose herself, she barely managed to finish filming.

Her great-grandfather’s controversy first came to light on August 10th. The following day, August 11th, was Ha Young’s birthday. The “We Have A Chance” set had originally planned to celebrate with a cake for her birthday, but given the controversy that broke out the day before, the occasion reportedly passed quietly without any celebration.

Despite the situation, SBS has not changed its position. The network previously stated, “Filming has progressed significantly. We are aware of the matter and are closely monitoring how the situation develops. We will share an update if there are any further developments.” Filming is in its final stretch and is expected to wrap within three weeks at the earliest, meaning Ha Young is unlikely to be written out or recast.

That said, SBS can’t simply do nothing either. Since the drama is scheduled to air in February of next year, around the time of March 1st Independence Movement Day, the controversy is likely to keep following the project. The network is well aware that the backlash could be significant if they take that risk. On top of that, since “We Have A Chance” is a remake of a Japanese drama, it can’t fully escape the “pro-Japanese ancestry controversy” surrounding Ha Young, raising uncertainty over whether advertisers will sign on smoothly.

Ha Young’s great-grandfather, An Sang Ho, worked as a doctor during the Japanese colonial period, and his past activities have since been confirmed as pro-Japanese. The controversy has intensified further after a 1983 book by Kim Yong-sook titled “A Study of Joseon Dynasty Court Customs” described An Sang Ho’s wife as “the daughter of a certain Japanese general who was with the Government-General at the time.”

Amid the controversy, an advertisement for an electronics and clothing brand featuring Ha Young as a model has been made private. KBS 2TV’s “Problem Child in House,” where Ha Young discussed her great-grandfather, has also had its rewatch feature disabled. Meanwhile, promotional content filmed for the Netflix series “Our Sticky Love” will not be released to the public.

Source: (A)