SBS puts Ha Young’s new drama on hold amid controversy over ancestor's colonial collaboration
The broadcaster removed “The Long Shot Trial” from its 2027 lineup as scrutiny continues over allegations involving Ha Young’s great-grandfather.
Actor Ha Young poses during a press event held in western Seoul in August.
NEWS1
The release of a new drama starring actor Ha Young has been put on hold over allegations that her great-grandfather collaborated with Japan during its colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, an issue that remains deeply sensitive in Korea.
Its broadcaster SBS said on Monday that the series, titled "The Long Shot Trial," has been removed from its lineup for the first half of next year.
"We are carefully considering various options, as this production represents the collective efforts of numerous cast and crew members," said a source from SBS. "We have yet to decide when the drama will air.” The show had been slated to air in the first half of 2027.
The legal comedy follows a ragtag law firm led by a former lawyer who now works as its office manager. Lee Je-hoon stars alongside Ha Young, whose legal name is Ahn Ha-young.
The controversy surrounding the actor began in August, after she stated on a televised talk show that her family had produced doctors for four generations, beginning with her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho (1874-1927), who she said studied Western medicine in Japan and treated Emperor Gojong (1852-1919). Online users then pointed to a 1916 record listing him as a councilor of a pro-Japanese business group and criticized her for presenting — as a point of family pride — an ancestor with ties to Japan’s colonial rule.
She has since withdrawn from the second and third seasons of Netflix's "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call" (2025-) and suspended her acting activities.
"I sincerely apologize as a descendant," Ha Young said in a statement posted on her social media in August.
The production team for the SBS drama also addressed the controversy. "We take the recent allegations concerning a cast member very seriously,” the SBS production team said in August.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
