SBS faces backlash for airing Ha Young's new drama

Korean broadcast network SBS is facing intense criticism for its upcoming legal drama, "The Long Shot Trial," which stars actor Ha Young. The series, set to premiere on February 26, 2027, is particularly controversial due to Ha Young's family's historic ties to the Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. The timing of the premiere, just three days before Korea's major national holiday commemorating the 1919 Korean independence demonstrations against Japanese occupation on March 1, has only intensified the backlash.

Commenters are deeply angered by Ha Young's casting as a righteous lawyer ahead of such a patriotic holiday. Online posts have widely condemned the family's history and questioned the propriety of her role. The criticism is so intense that one commenter sarcastically remarked, "It's ironic — a family with pro-Japanese royalty roots flexing after stealing Kim Ik-nam’s legacy, whose grandfather worked as a doctor during the human experiments at Sorokdo, and now their kid is playing a righteous lawyer three days before Independence Movement."