Korean actress Ha Young has gained more than 500,000 followers on Instagram since the controversy over her great-grandfather’s alleged ties to Japan’s colonial rule erupted.

Her growing social media following comes as her drama “Our Sticky Love,” co-starring Jung Hae-in, continues to perform well on Netflix.

Based on Social Blade statistics, Ha Young’s Instagram followers increased by 514,375 from 845,203 on Aug. 7 to 1,359,578 on Aug. 25.

The increase came after she appeared on the TV show “Problem Child in House” on Aug. 7 and talked about her great-grandfather.

“My great-grandfather was the first doctor to open a practice in Hanyang after returning from Japan where he learned Western medicine. He also treated Emperor Gojong [ruler of Korea from 1864 to 1907],” she said.

Her late great-grandfather, Ahn Sang-ho, was subsequently identified by Korean netizens as an alleged pro-Japanese collaborator during the period when Korea was under Japanese rule.

Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910 and remained under Japanese rule for 35 years until 1945.

Ha Young later apologized for her remarks.

“Shamefully, in that state of ignorance, I spoke of my great-grandfather at various gatherings as if he were a source of family pride,” she said.

She added that after doing her own research, she “discovered my great-grandfather's pro-Japanese activities.”

Despite the controversy, Ha Young’s social media following has continued to climb.

Meanwhile, “Our Sticky Love” has remained among Netflix’s global top 10 non-English shows for three consecutive weeks.

Ha Young (center) with actors Jung Hae-in (right) and Heo Sung-tae (Instagram)

Ha Young (Instagram)