SBS drama The Long Shot Trial is set to wrap filming on September 3rd with Ha Young remaining in the cast despite mounting controversy surrounding her great-grandfather’s ties to Japan during Korea’s colonial period.
According to MyDaily on August 26th, production on the series will conclude as scheduled after filming began in February. While it remains unclear how Ha Young’s role will ultimately appear in the finished drama, SBS’ earlier statement that it was “carefully discussing” the matter with the production company and other parties appears to have resulted in no cast changes.
The production has also reportedly yet to set a date for its wrap party, which is typically held around the final day of filming.
SBS previously said it was “taking the recent issue involving a cast member very seriously” and would announce any decisions through official channels.
The controversy centers on Ha Young’s great-grandfather, Ahn Sang Ho, who has been accused of collaborating with Japan during its colonial rule of Korea. In a December 1918 interview with Maeil Shinbo, the official newspaper of the Japanese Government-General of Korea, Ahn said, “I am just like a Japanese person. I don’t own a single set of Korean clothes anymore, and I can’t eat spicy food at all.”
He also said, “I hardly associate with Koreans, so I don’t experience any inconvenience,” remarks that have drawn renewed scrutiny for how openly he embraced Japan’s assimilationist policies.
Ahn reportedly raised his children in a Japanese manner and lived according to the ideology that Korea and Japan were “one body.” He also served as a physician for the Office of the Yi Royal Household under the Japanese colonial administration, further fueling accusations that he actively cooperated with the colonial system.
Calls for Ha Young to leave the drama emerged after details of her family history resurfaced, but by that point more than 80% of filming had reportedly been completed, and production continued without changes to the cast.
The controversy may also complicate the show’s planned release. The Long Shot Trial is currently expected to air around late February, shortly before March 1st, Korea’s Independence Movement Day, prompting criticism online and early calls for boycotts of both the drama and its advertisers.
Based on TV Asahi’s Japanese legal drama Legal V: Ex-Lawyer Shoko Takanashi, The Long Shot Trial follows an unconventional law office led by a former attorney and a current office manager as they take on seemingly unwinnable cases.
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