Amid ongoing controversy over actress Ha-young's great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, the fallout has spread to her upcoming project The Long Shot Trial. Calls for her to be dropped are growing, but SBS still appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach. Why is that?
On the 7th, Ha-young mentioned on KBS2 Problem Child in House that she came from a family of doctors for four generations, and her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's pro-Japanese actions were reexamined, sparking controversy.
The agency initially denied the pro-Japanese actions, but after finding actual materials later, it reversed its position and apologized. Ha-young also said in a handwritten apology that she takes her great-grandfather's mistake seriously and, as a descendant, apologizes.
The problem was Ha-young's next project. Ha-young had confirmed her appearance in SBS The Long Shot Trial and was in the middle of filming. According to the industry, filming for The Long Shot Trial was more than 90% complete, and filming will be finished at the end of this month.
SBS's The Long Shot Trial side cautiously responded, saying that the work has already been substantially filmed and that it is difficult to comment on the amount of footage or specific progress.
Regarding the pro-Japanese controversy over Ha-young's great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho, they added, "We are aware of the matter and are closely monitoring its developments. If there is any information to report later, we will let you know."
After concerns arose about continuing filming, SBS issued another statement saying, "We take recent matters related to the cast very seriously. We are carefully discussing the matter from multiple angles with the production company and related parties," and announced, "We will notify you through official channels as soon as a decision is made."
Some people are calling for Ha-young to be dropped, citing the case of a male actor who left a drama in the past amid bullying allegations. Recently, some contracts include clauses allowing termination if an actor causes social controversy that significantly damages a work, but whether a drop is actually possible depends on the specific terms of the contract.
Moreover, in Ha-young's case, it was her great-grandfather's actions, not actions by Ha-young herself, that are the issue, so it is difficult to conclude that contractual fault immediately arises from this controversy alone.
Even if Ha-young leaves and a new female lead is cast and reshoots begin, it would not be easy. Because a significant portion of The Long Shot Trial has already been filmed, if they decide to drop Ha-young and cast a replacement and start reshoots, substantial additional costs could occur separate from the production costs already invested in existing filming. The question is whether a court would recognize SBS's claim for those costs against Ha-young, even if SBS sought to charge them to her.
SBS is also in serious deliberation. However, continuing to film The Long Shot Trial and Ha-young's departure are separate issues. SBS plans to finish the scheduled filming and then hold a meeting with the production team, cast and related parties to discuss. Discussion about The Long Shot Trial is expected to proceed in earnest at that meeting.
What do legal experts think about this? Attorney Roh Jong-eon of law firm Jonja said, "From SBS's perspective, it would be a loss to go ahead with the broadcast and a loss to cancel the schedule, so it will not be easy to make any decision."
Attorney Roh said, "From a legal standpoint, if SBS seeks damages from Ha-young, it is unclear whether this would constitute Ha-young's fault, whether the lie that Ha-young's side called 'groundless' would be recognized as fault leading to damages, and even if Ha-young's liability for damages were recognized, to what extent she could be held responsible for production costs is unclear, so it appears difficult for SBS to make any decision at present."
Accordingly, SBS has no choice but to consider multiple options after finishing filming: whether to go ahead with the broadcast, postpone the scheduling, or consider Ha-young's departure and reshoots. Whatever decision is made, it will have to bear significant costs and production schedule burdens. When and in what form will The Long Shot Trial meet viewers?
[Photos] OSEN DB, broadcast captures, SBS
[OSEN]