Ha Young exits Netflix’s ‘The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call’ Season 2 after family controversy tied to Korea’s colonial era

Seoul, September 1 - Actor Ha Young will not reprise her role for the upcoming second season of Netflix's popular Korean medical drama, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. The decision follows controversy surrounding allegations about her great-grandfather's actions during Japan's colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula. Netflix announced today that the actress, whose legal name is Ahn Ha-young, will not participate in the next season after she apologized last month for remarks she made about her great-grandfather being a source of family pride.

The actress expressed regret over her comments, stating she had only partially understood her great-grandfather's history and felt ashamed for publicly referencing him as a family hero. Ha Young portrayed nurse Cheon Jang-mi in the first season and was anticipated to return alongside co-stars Ju Ji-hoon and Choo Young-woo for Season 2.

The controversy erupted after she appeared on the KBS talk show Problem Child in House, where she discussed her family's medical history and her great-grandfather's studies in Western medicine in Japan. Her comments came shortly before South Korea observed Liberation Day, sparking scrutiny of her great-grandfather's alleged involvement in Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

The situation escalated after Ha Young's agency initially labeled the allegations as unfounded before she later issued an apology, expressing her ignorance of her great-grandfather's history and her regret for publicly championing him.