Jeong Ye-in Joins Critical Condition Season 2 After Ha Young's Exit Over Ancestry Controversy

Netflix confirmed on September 29 that Jeong Ye-in will take over the role of trauma nurse Cheon Jang-mi in Critical Condition, the medical drama series that became one of the platform's most-watched Korean originals when Season 1 launched last year. The casting follows the exit of Ha Young, who had originated the character and was set to return alongside co-stars Ju Ji-hoon and Chu Young-woo before a controversy over her family history ended that plan.

What led to Ha Young's departure

The trouble began when records surfaced indicating that Ha Young's great-grandfather, An Sang-ho, had served as a physician in the Japanese imperial royal household during Korea's colonial period and was a council member of the Daejeong Chinmok-hoe, a pro-Japanese organization. Ha Young, who had casually mentioned her family background in a broadcast, issued a public apology, writing that she "sincerely apologizes as a descendant" and saying she regretted how lightly she had spoken about it. Netflix followed with a statement that it would respect the actor's position, and her departure from the series was confirmed as a voluntary withdrawal.

The controversy sits inside a long-standing and acutely sensitive area of Korean public life. Questions about colonial-era collaboration, and their weight on living descendants, recur with particular intensity when a public figure brings a family's past into the open, even incidentally.

Jeong Ye-in's path to the role

With the character vacant, the production ran a competitive audition process across multiple rounds before settling on Jeong Ye-in. A former member of girl group Lovelyz, which debuted in 2014 and released hits including Ah-Choo and Destiny, Jeong Ye-in began building an acting career alongside her music activities from 2017, when she appeared in tvN's Criminal Minds as the younger version of Moon Chae-won's character. She has since worked across web dramas, streaming originals, and stage productions. Critical Condition will be her first leading role in a prestige long-form drama.

There was reportedly some initial confusion in the communication from her agency, but the casting was ultimately confirmed without issue. A small gathering of key cast and crew, including a script reading and a meal, took place on the 29th to formally mark the start of production, with a few actors absent due to scheduling conflicts.

Simultaneous production of two seasons

Filming on Seasons 2 and 3 is planned to begin in October, running concurrently. Shooting two consecutive seasons back-to-back is an approach a number of Netflix's Korean productions have adopted in recent years, particularly for shows with large ensemble casts and established viewer bases, where the cost of reassembling talent between cycles is significant. Critical Condition fits that profile comfortably: Season 1 drew strong numbers both domestically and internationally, and the platform has moved quickly to protect the show's momentum.

Public reaction to Jeong Ye-in's casting has been mixed but generally measured. Some viewers have expressed reservations about replacing a familiar face, while others have pointed out that she went through a real competitive audition and noted that the nurse role suits her. Whether she can hold the space Ha Young built over a full season is a question the production itself will have to answer.