Oh Ha-young sees follower surge after pro-Japanese controversy

While actress Oh Ha-young has been struggling with controversy surrounding her great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities, an unusual phenomenon has occurred: her personal SNS followers increased by more than 200,000 in a short period following her apology. As the positive impact of her work's global success and the public interest surrounding the controversy act simultaneously, some analysts suggest an unexpected 'noise marketing' effect may have occurred.

As of the morning of the 19th, Oh Ha-young's personal SNS account followers were tallied at approximately 1,245,000. This means that in just one week after surpassing 1,000,000, the account saw an influx of more than 200,000 new followers.

Oh Ha-young recently found herself at the center of controversy while introducing her family background on a broadcast. She introduced her family history, stating, "From my great-grandfather to my older sister, it is a four-generation family of doctors," but she subsequently faced intense criticism as records related to the pro-Japanese activities of her great-grandfather, An Sang-ho, spread online.

In particular, as facts were mentioned regarding An Sang-ho's history with the Daejeong Chinmokhoe, a pro-Japanese organization during the Japanese colonial period, and his cooperation with the Ilseon Donghwa policy, the controversy expanded beyond a simple introduction of family history into an issue of historical perception.

As the controversy spread, Oh Ha-young reflected on her remarks through a handwritten apology.

She apologized, stating that she only knew fragmentary details of her great-grandfather's life through stories passed down from her family, saying, "Shamefully, I spoke of it as a point of pride for my family while being ignorant."

She went on to express that she takes her great-grandfather's wrongdoings heavily and offers her apologies as a descendant.

As the controversy intensified, Oh Ha-young effectively suspended her public activities by canceling scheduled promotional interviews and official schedules. In the typical progression of entertainment industry controversies, it was highly likely that her activities would shrink and public interest would naturally decrease.

However, actual SNS metrics showed the exact opposite movement.

Oh Ha-young's followers actually increased at a rapid pace following the controversy and her apology. With more than 200,000 additional followers in a short period, it showed a pattern where public interest directly linked to account influx.

However, it is difficult to interpret this solely as an effect of the controversy.

Oh Ha-young is also making a name for herself among global viewers through the Netflix series "This F***ing Love," in which she stars alongside Jung Hae-in. As the work continues its box office success overseas, such as ranking number 1 in the non-English TV show category, there is a possibility that interest in the actress naturally spread to SNS.

Additionally, the high search volume and media exposure created by the controversy cannot be ignored.

In the consumption of popular culture in the SNS era, controversy does not function solely as negative interest. As criticism, curiosity, sympathy, and resentment occur simultaneously, a paradoxical phenomenon sometimes emerges where the notoriety of an individual is rapidly increased.

Particularly in Oh Ha-young's case, interest in her personal narrative grew as her handwritten apology was released following the controversy. Public opinion was also divided regarding how much responsibility should be attributed to Oh Ha-young, a descendant, for the actions of her great-grandfather.

Some argued that it is unfair to attribute the actions of past generations directly to their descendants. Conversely, critical views continued regarding her attitude of not sufficiently verifying the facts while proudly introducing her family history.

Ultimately, this surge in followers is a complex result that is difficult to explain with a single cause. The analysis suggests that interest in her as an actress formed by the success of a global work, the explosive topicality created by the pro-Japanese controversy, the exposure of her personal image through the handwritten apology, and the conflicting emotions of the public surrounding these factors all acted simultaneously.

In particular, the expression 'noise marketing' should not be concluded to mean that Oh Ha-young herself or her agency intentionally utilized the controversy. Rather, it is closer to a typical 'paradox of negative topicality,' where a negative issue forms high visibility regardless of the party's intention, and that interest ultimately leads to increased recognition and SNS followers.

Oh Ha-young, who once faced her greatest crisis due to the controversy over her great-grandfather's history, has found herself in a paradoxical situation. While she reduced her activities to reflect on her actions, hundreds of thousands of new followers have joined her SNS community.

However, high visibility does not necessarily translate to a positive image. Whether this controversy will remain a one-time issue or evolve into a long-term historical and social debate regarding Oh Ha-young will depend on her future work and how she communicates with the public.

Attention is now focused on how Oh Ha-young, who experienced an unexpected surge in followers due to the controversy, will handle this intense interest and redefine her presence as an actress.