'Severe Trauma Center' Actress Ha Young Reveals Her Secret Weapon: A Doctor Family That Goes Back to the 1800s

Ha Young dropped a detail in a recent Netflix Korea YouTube video that had the comments section moving fast: her great-grandfather was reportedly among the very first people to open a Western medicine clinic in Hanyang, the historical name for Seoul, making her family one with four consecutive generations of doctors.

The video, released on the 6th, brought Ha Young together with her This Terrible Love co-star Jung Hae-in for a casual sit-down hosted by comedian Yoo Byung-jae. When Yoo mentioned he had heard her family had a long medical tradition, Ha Young confirmed it without hesitation. "My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all doctors," she said, before adding the detail that surprised everyone in the room: that her great-grandfather was, by her family's account, among the first to open a clinic specializing in Western medicine in Hanyang.

Her older sister is also a doctor, specifically a specialist in internal medicine. Yoo noted that growing up in that kind of environment probably shaped her sister's career path, and Ha Young agreed. She was quick to clarify, though, that she never once considered following suit. "I never wanted to become a doctor," she laughed. "It's such a difficult profession, I couldn't even think about it. I just wanted my sister to work hard."

That said, having a family full of medical professionals turned out to be genuinely useful when Ha Young filmed Severe Trauma Center, the Netflix series where she played nurse Cheon Jang-mi to wide acclaim. Medical dramas live or die on the authenticity of the small details, and she had a direct line to people who knew them. "I had to actually understand the drug names and medical terminology to act the scenes properly, so I asked my family a lot," she explained. Surgical scenes in particular required precision: "Real doctors don't go into the operating room every single day either, but for things like where a nurse should be standing, I would ask my family for advice."

There was also a playful behind-the-scenes moment revealed in the video: during the filming of Hounds 2, her most recent project, Ha Young wore the same surgical scrubs she had used on Severe Trauma Center. The practical recycling got a laugh from the room.

This Terrible Love, Ha Young's new drama with Jung Hae-in, follows prosecutor Ko Eun-sae (Ha Young) who loses her memory and finds herself sharing a living space with boxing coach Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae-in), who claims to be her boyfriend. The series premieres on the 7th.