Ha Young‘s Instagram following has surged by more than 200,000 in just over a week, reaching more than 1.24 million as her Netflix series Our Sticky Love climbed to No. 1 on the Global Top 10 TV Shows (Non-English) chart.
As of the afternoon of August 19, Ha Young had passed 1.24 million Instagram followers, up from the 1 million mark she reached only a week earlier. The sharp increase comes as the actress draws attention both from the success of her latest drama and from controversy surrounding her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang Ho.
The international performance of “Our Sticky Love” appears to have helped expand Ha Young’s audience. The romantic comedy recorded 7.5 million views from August 10 to 16 and accumulated 88 million hours viewed during that period, KPopHit reported.
After opening at No. 5 on Netflix’s non-English TV chart, the series moved into first place in its second week. “Our Sticky Love” also ranked No. 1 in 26 countries, including South Korea, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia and Indonesia.
Released on August 7, the series stars Ha Young as Go Eun Sae, a prosecutor who loses her memory. Jung Hae In plays Jang Tae Ha, a boxing coach who claims to be her boyfriend.
The show’s growing reach has given Ha Young a much wider international audience at a time when public interest in her has also increased for another reason.
Ha Young’s Family History Sparks Controversy
The actress faced criticism after describing her family during promotional activities as a “four-generation family of doctors.”
Reports later surfaced about her great-grandfather Ahn Sang Ho’s alleged ties to the Daejeong Fellowship Association, described as a pro-Japanese organization during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea.
According to AllKPop, he was reportedly listed as a council member and appeared in historical newspaper coverage connected to the idea of “Japan and Korea as One.”
Several promotional interviews for “Our Sticky Love” were canceled following the controversy.
On August 12, Ha Young shared a handwritten apology on social media. She explained that she had known only the version of her great-grandfather’s life passed down through her family and learned about the alleged activities while researching historical records herself.
She also expressed regret for speaking proudly about her family without fully understanding Korea’s history under Japanese colonial rule and apologized as his descendant.
Despite the controversy, her Instagram numbers have continued moving upward.
Ha Young, whose real name is Ahn Ha Young, began acting in 2019 with “Doctor Prisoner.” She later appeared in “Chocolate,” “Mouse,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Doona!” and Netflix’s “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call.”
Her next project is SBS drama “The Long Shot Trial,” in which she will play rookie lawyer Yeo Shim Hee.