Actor Ha-young is receiving cold stares from the Korean public in the wake of controversy over being a descendant of a pro-Japanese collaborator. Amid this, following supportive public opinion from Japanese media and netizens, Netflix Japan has publicly given a "shout-out," intensifying the backlash.
On the 28th, Netflix Japan (Netflix Japan) uploaded a tribute video titled "The strong, flexible characters Ha-young plays who live true to themselves."
As the title indicated, the thumbnail featured characters Ha-young has played in past dramas. The roughly four-minute video consisted of a compilation of Ha-young's performances from dramas available on Netflix, including "Our Sticky Love," "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," "Boyfriend on Demand" and "Teach You a Lesson."
Netflix Japan also added praise for her acting, saying, "An actor with an elegant bearing, Ha-young. She lives her life true to herself and captivates people with strength and flexibility."
Netflix Japan has often uploaded compilation videos of performances by actors from popular works like this. Only a month ago it posted a special feature video on actor Yoon Kyung-ho titled "A collection of distinctive but lovable 'ajusshi'!" The issue is the timing of the release. Posting a video celebrating the actor Ha-young at a time when noise was rising over the pro-Japanese descendant controversy led to reactions that Netflix Japan was deliberately aiming at the 'pro-Japanese controversy.'
Earlier, Ha-young became embroiled in a controversy over being a pro-Japanese descendant after she bragged on several variety shows last month about being from a "fourth-generation family of doctors." It was damaging when it was revealed that Ha-young's great-grandfather was An Sang-ho, who had pro-Japanese activities. Moreover, Ha-young proudly said her great-grandfather participated in King Gojong's medical treatment, but records suggesting his involvement in suspicions surrounding King Gojong's poisoning surfaced, causing a backlash. Ha-young's side later said her grandfather An Bu-ho worked at the national Sorokdo Hospital in the past and worked for Hansen's disease patients, but the controversy grew because his employment period overlapped with a time when near-torturous experiments were carried out on patients at Sorokdo.
In response, Ha-young's agency initially rebutted that the pro-Japanese accusations were "unfounded," but amid mounting evidence they reversed their position and said, "After additional verification, we confirmed that there is indeed a record listing great-grandfather An Sang-ho as a member of the 1916 Daejeong Ch'inmokhoe council. We sincerely apologize for hastily replying that it was 'unfounded' without sufficient verification and causing confusion. Ha-young also deeply reflects on having caused concern through this matter and will approach the future with greater caution and humility," they apologized.
Ha-young posted a handwritten apology, saying, "Through the process of directly searching related materials prompted by this matter, I learned of my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese actions. I regret having lightly mentioned family history without properly knowing Korea's painful history during the Japanese colonial period. I accept that mistake gravely and, as a descendant, sincerely apologize. I will look closely at my family's history and that era and take a more careful attitude toward history going forward. I will also do my best to study our history deeply and to serve with respect for the independence patriots and all those who worked for Korea's restoration and well-being."
As a result of the controversy, an interview for "Our Sticky Love" that had been scheduled was canceled, and advertisements featuring Ha-young as a model and some variety and radio clip videos she appeared in were switched to private, prompting a distancing movement in the advertising and broadcasting industries. In this situation, some Japanese media criticized Koreans, saying it is wrong to hold families or descendants accountable for the actions of 'pro-Japanese acts' and ran commentary about the 'guilt-by-association system.' Among Japanese netizens, opinion that Ha-young was "pitiful" also spread.
In this context, Netflix Japan's official account gave Ha-young a "shout-out," and Japanese netizens who saw it left messages of support for her. Meanwhile, Korean netizens reacted coldly with comments such as "creepy," "Are they trying to pick a fight with Korea?", "Are they praising her because she's a descendant of a Japanese collaborator?", "proof of being a traitor," "as a pro-Japanese it's also a good idea to work in Japan," and "go to Japan."
Meanwhile, Ha-young stepped down from "The Trauma Code: Heroes on call," which was preparing production for season 2 and season 3 amid the pro-Japanese controversy. Netflix told OSEN on the 1st, "Out of respect for the actor's position, Ha-young will not appear in the follow-up to The Trauma Code: Heroes on call." However, another of Ha-young's upcoming projects, the SBS drama "The Long Shot Trial," is nearing the end of filming and is aiming to broadcast in the first half of next year, so Netflix said it is "under internal discussion" and declined to comment. Attention is focused on whether Ha-young will also leave "The Long Shot Trial."
[Photo] Netflix Japan, OSEN DB
[OSEN]