Overview
- Online research into Ahn Ha‑young’s family history linked her great‑grandfather Ahn Sang‑ho to pro‑Japanese organisations from the 1910–1945 colonial era, prompting the controversy.
- Her agency, Bistus Entertainment, initially denied the claims but reversed course after checking historical records and issued an apology for its earlier statement.
- Ahn posted a handwritten public apology saying she had been unaware of her ancestor’s past and expressed regret for speaking about her family history without full knowledge.
- Several advertisers and broadcasters have removed or made private ads and clips featuring Ahn, and press events for her recent projects were cancelled, cutting short immediate commercial opportunities.
- Production sources and SBS say roughly 90 percent of the drama is filmed and the network is closely monitoring the situation while facing a costly choice about whether to keep the February release near March 1; Ahn also reportedly broke down on set on August 13 during filming.