Netflix Confirms Ha Young's Departure

Netflix confirmed on Tuesday that actor Ha Young will not appear in the second season of its Korean medical drama "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call." The streaming platform said it was "respecting the actor's position," according to a statement reported by Yonhap News Agency and The Korea Times.

The decision follows controversy over allegations concerning her great-grandfather's activities during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea. Ha Young, whose legal name is Ahn Ha-young, appeared as nurse Cheon Jang-mi in the first season and had been set to shoot the second season with co-stars Ju Ji-hoon and Choo Young-woo.

The Controversy

The backlash began after Ha Young appeared on the KBS talk show "Problem Child in House" last month, where she discussed her family's medical background and mentioned that her great-grandfather had studied Western medicine in Japan. The remarks, made just days before South Korea marked Liberation Day, prompted public scrutiny of her great-grandfather's activities during the colonial period.

Her agency initially dismissed the allegations as groundless, but the criticism continued. Last month, Ha Young issued an apology, saying she had only partially known about her great-grandfather's life and was ashamed of speaking about him as a source of family pride.

Netflix's statement, as quoted by Yonhap and The Korea Times, read: "Respecting the actor's position, Ha Young will not appear in the next season of 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.'"

The news was first reported by Yonhap News Agency and later picked up by Malay Mail, which cited Yonhap in its coverage.