SBS says it is 'carefully deliberating' fate of drama lead Ha Young amid pro-Japanese ancestry row

The production team behind the new SBS drama series "Seungsan Itseumnida" ("There's a Chance of Winning") has responded to reports that filming will wrap without lead actor Ha Young being dropped, amid a controversy over her great-grandfather's alleged collaboration with Japanese colonial rule.

A production official told News1 on Wednesday that the team "continues to take the matter concerning the cast member with the utmost seriousness," adding that it is "carefully deliberating from multiple angles together with all relevant parties."

The official added that the team is "coordinating remaining essential schedules from various angles, taking into account the practical need to minimize harm to the many staff and cast members involved," and asked for understanding that "specific details regarding individual filming schedules are difficult to confirm."

Earlier Wednesday, entertainment outlet My Daily reported that filming on "Seungsan Itseumnida" is scheduled to conclude on Sept. 3, with Ha Young expected to complete her remaining shoot days. The outlet also noted that, unlike the wrap parties typically held on a drama's final day of filming, no date has been set for such a celebration for this production.

Ha Young came under fire after her great-grandfather Ahn Sang-ho's pro-Japanese activities during the colonial period became public.

Her agency initially denied the allegations, but later reversed course and issued an apology after confirming that Ahn Sang-ho's name appeared on a list of council members of the Daejeong Chinmok-hoe, a "pro-Japanese fraternal association" founded in 1916.

Ha Young also issued a handwritten apology, saying she "accepts the wrongdoing with great solemnity and sincerely apologizes as a descendant," and pledged to "look more carefully at her family's history and that era, and to approach history with a more thoughtful attitude going forward."

The controversy did not die down, and its fallout extended to "Seungsan Itseumnida." On Thursday, the production said it was "taking the recent matter concerning the cast member with the utmost seriousness" and was "carefully deliberating from multiple angles together with the production company and all relevant parties."

"Seungsan Itseumnida" is adapted from the Japanese drama series "Legal V: Former Attorney Takanashi Shoko." The legal drama follows a law office led by a former attorney and a current office manager as they take on seemingly unwinnable cases, and stars Lee Je-hoon and Ha Young.