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Topping Netflix’s Non-English TV Series Chart
The Netflix original romantic comedy This Damn Love, starring Jung Hae-in and Ha-young, continues its global winning streak even amidst the controversy surrounding its lead actress’s family history. According to Netflix’s official ranking site, Tudum, the show claimed the global No. 1 spot in the Non-English TV category during its second week (August 10-16, 2026), racking up 7.5 million views and 88 million viewing hours.
This momentum easily carried over into its third week. Between August 17 and 23, the series maintained a strong hold on the No. 2 spot in the same category, drawing 3.7 million views and 43.3 million viewing hours. While these numbers are slightly lower than the previous week, holding onto a top global ranking is impressive given the constant influx of new releases. Viewer interest from around the world has remained steady since the show’s premiere on August 7. Both views (which reflect how many people tuned in) and viewing hours (which show actual consumption) have stayed remarkably high.
Interestingly, this streaming success overlaps precisely with the growing historical controversy regarding Ha-young’s great-grandfather. While both the family history and her agency’s handling of the situation have faced sharp criticism in Korea, the show’s global viewership on Netflix has remained largely unfazed. We are seeing a unique situation where the drama’s popularity and the actor’s personal controversy are unfolding on parallel tracks, without one completely derailing the other. Looking at the streaming charts alone, it’s hard to say the backlash has dealt an immediate or fatal blow to the series itself, though it has certainly impacted the promotional schedule.
An Amnesiac Prosecutor and a Boxing Coach Become Roommates
Spanning 12 episodes, This Damn Love is a romantic comedy about Go Eun-sae, an amnesiac prosecutor, and Jang Tae-ha, a boxing coach who insists he is her boyfriend, as they navigate living together. Ha-young plays the memory-deprived Go Eun-sae, while Jung Hae-in steps into the role of Jang Tae-ha. The core of the story revolves around the dynamic between a woman who can’t remember her past and a man who claims they were already deeply in love.
The series dropped on Netflix on August 7. By releasing all episodes at once, viewers across multiple countries were able to dive into the story simultaneously. Hitting No. 1 in the Non-English TV category in its second week and No. 2 in its third, the show proves that Korean romantic comedies continue to find an eager audience well beyond their domestic market. More importantly, it didn’t just peak for a week and fade away; staying in the top ranks shows that initial curiosity successfully translated into sustained viewership.
A Family History Controversy Sparked on Television
On the day of the show’s release, August 7, Ha-young appeared on the KBS2 variety show Problem Child in House and shared that she comes from a family with four generations of doctors. During the broadcast, she mentioned hearing from her family that her great-grandfather had opened the first Western-style hospital in Hanyang (modern-day Seoul) during the Enlightenment period and even treated Emperor Gojong. She did not, however, mention her great-grandfather’s name on air.
Following the broadcast, eagle-eyed netizens quickly identified her great-grandfather as Ahn Sang-ho, a doctor who practiced during the Japanese colonial period. The situation escalated when historical records resurfaced showing Ahn’s name on the membership roster of the Daejeong Friendship Association, a pro-Japanese group founded in 1916. People began pointing out the stark contrast between the proud family anecdote shared on TV and the actual historical records, sparking a debate over whether the anecdote was fact-checked before airing.
In South Korea, the term chin-il (pro-Japanese) goes far beyond a simple personal preference for Japanese culture. In a historical context, it specifically refers to individuals who actively collaborated with Japanese colonial rule between 1910 and 1945. Because the scars of colonization still deeply affect Korean politics, society, and family memories, any ties to pro-Japanese organizations remain a highly sensitive issue in the public sphere. When a public figure proudly shares a piece of family history only to have conflicting historical records emerge, both the intent behind the remarks and the lack of prior verification inevitably come under intense scrutiny.
From Denial to Admission and Apology
Initially, Ha-young’s agency denied the allegations, stating that the claims of her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities were baseless. However, they soon reversed their stance after a closer look at the historical data. On August 11, the agency confirmed that Ahn Sang-ho was indeed listed as a council member of the Daejeong Friendship Association in 1916. As the initial denial clashed with the newly verified facts, the controversy quickly expanded from a family history issue into a critique of the agency’s crisis management.
The agency apologized for their hasty initial response, admitting they should have conducted a more thorough verification before releasing a statement. They explained that Ha-young was simply answering a question on a talk show when she brought up her family’s medical background, and noted that the actress herself feels a heavy sense of responsibility for the ensuing uproar. The agency also acknowledged the necessity of meticulous fact-checking when presenting historical facts and personal histories to the public.
As a direct fallout from the controversy, scheduled promotional interviews for the drama were abruptly canceled. These interviews are usually a crucial part of the post-release press tour, allowing actors to discuss their roles and keep the public engaged with the story. Ultimately, the debate over her great-grandfather’s past and the agency’s botched initial response went beyond just online chatter, putting a tangible halt to official promotional activities.
A Complex Coexistence of Success and Historical Debate
The core facts confirmed so far are that Ahn Sang-ho’s name appears on the Daejeong Friendship Association’s council roster, and Ha-young’s agency has admitted to this while apologizing for their initial denial. However, this historical record alone shouldn’t be used to make sweeping judgments about Ha-young’s personal historical awareness or values. While her great-grandfather’s past, the family lore shared on broadcast, and the agency’s fact-checking process are all intertwined, they each require separate, nuanced evaluation.
Even after the controversy broke, the show’s rankings remained incredibly strong. This Damn Love took the No. 1 spot globally in the Non-English TV category from August 10 to 16, and held onto No. 2 the following week. It has become clear that the viewing habits of international audiences and the historical debates unfolding within Korea are moving at very different speeds and in different directions.
That being said, high streaming numbers do not automatically erase the controversy or diminish the weight of the historical records. Conversely, the existence of this debate shouldn’t unfairly penalize everyone else who worked hard to bring the series to life. The show’s global achievements, the records regarding Ahn Sang-ho, and the agency’s handling of the situation are separate realities that should be judged on their own merits. Streaming ranks simply reflect viewer choices, whereas the historical debate centers on the integrity of historical records and accountability. One cannot cancel out the other. Moving forward, the real focus will be on how long the show can sustain its popularity and how Ha-young and her team navigate the ongoing questions surrounding her family’s past.
Sources: The Korea Herald, August 19, 2026; Yonhap News, August 11, 2026; Maeil Business Newspaper, August 26, 2026; Netflix Tudum, August 17-23, 2026 data.
