South Korean actress Ahn Ha-young, known professionally as Ha Young, will not return for the follow-up to Netflix hit The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.
Netflix confirmed on 1 September that Ha Young would not appear in the follow-up, saying it respected the actress’s position. Yonhap reported that she had been expected to reprise her role as trauma-team nurse Cheon Jang-mi alongside Ju Ji-hoon and Choo Young-woo.
Controversy Began After She Talked About Her Family Of Doctors
The controversy began after Ha Young appeared on KBS2 programme Problem Child in House on 7 August and spoke about coming from four generations of doctors.
She said she had been told that her great-grandfather studied Western medicine in Japan before returning to Korea to practise. Her great-grandfather was subsequently identified as physician Ahn Sang-ho, who lived from 1872 to 1927.
Online scrutiny then focused on Ahn Sang-ho’s activities during Korea’s period under Japanese colonial rule.
According to records cited by Yonhap, Ahn Sang-ho appeared among the 21 councillors of the Daijeong Friendship Association when its leadership was formed in 1916. A 2007 academic paper cited by Yonhap said Japanese colonial police later characterised the organisation as supporting the colonial administration and promoting closer integration between Japanese and Koreans.
There is an important qualification. Ahn Sang-ho was not included in the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators, published by South Korea’s Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities in 2009.
Her Agency Initially Rejected The Allegations
Ha Young’s agency, Bistus Entertainment, initially said on 10 August that allegations surrounding her great-grandfather were unfounded.
A day later, it revised its position after confirming the record showing Ahn Sang-ho on the Daijeong Friendship Association’s list of councillors. The agency apologised for responding before sufficiently checking the historical material.
Ha Young then published a handwritten apology on social media on 12 August.
She said that her understanding of her great-grandfather had largely come from family accounts and that she had spoken about him with pride without properly knowing his history. After reviewing material herself, she said she had learnt about conduct she regarded as pro-Japanese and apologised as his descendant.
The timing also attracted attention because the controversy erupted shortly before South Korea’s Liberation Day on 15 August, which commemorates the end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
Season 2 Has Not Been Formally Detailed By Netflix
Reports in South Korea have referred to possible second and third seasons of The Trauma Code, but Netflix has been more cautious publicly.
Original web-novel author Lee Nak-jun said on KBS2 on 24 August that pre-production for Season 2 had been completed and that filming could begin around October.
Netflix responded the next day that production of a second season was still being discussed and that neither its filming schedule nor casting could yet be confirmed.
So while Ha Young’s departure from the franchise’s follow-up has now been confirmed, Netflix has not publicly announced detailed plans for multiple new seasons or a replacement for Cheon Jang-mi as of 2 September.
