The Real Medical Family Story Behind The Trauma Code Star Ha Young

Ha Young’s convincing performance in Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call was supported by an unexpected source of real-world knowledge: her own family.

During an interview released through Netflix Korea’s official YouTube channel on Aug. 6, the actress said that her father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all worked as doctors. Her older sister is also an internist, extending the family’s connection to medicine into a fourth generation.

“I was told that my father, grandfather and great-grandfather were doctors,” Ha Young said. Speaking about her great-grandfather, she added, “As far as I know, he was the first to open a Western medicine practice in Hanyang.”

Because Ha Young presented that detail as a story passed down through her family, rather than as a documented historical finding, it should be understood as her personal account. The interview did not provide independent archival evidence confirming the “first” designation.

Why She Chose Acting Instead of Medicine

Despite growing up around medical professionals, Ha Young said she never seriously considered following the same career path.

When host Yoo Byung-jae suggested that her sister may have been influenced by the number of doctors in their family, Ha Young agreed. Her own response, however, was very different.

“I had no intention at all,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible for me, and I never even dared to try. I just wanted my sister to work hard.”

Instead, Ha Young pursued acting and made her television debut in the 2019 medical thriller Doctor Prisoner. She subsequently appeared in productions including Soul Mechanic, Royal Secret Agent, Now, We Are Breaking Up, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Doona! and Face Me.

It was another medical drama, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, that introduced her to a much wider international audience.

Family Advice Helped Build Cheon Jang-mi

In The Trauma Code, Ha Young played Cheon Jang-mi, an experienced trauma nurse who holds her ground in a hospital dominated by forceful personalities and emergency situations.

The actress said the production allowed her to act more freely than she had in previous projects. She was encouraged to bring more of her naturally relaxed and straightforward personality to Jang-mi, an approach that helped give the character energy beyond the conventional supporting-nurse role.

Her family also became an informal source of technical guidance. Ha Young explained that she asked relatives about unfamiliar medications and terminology because understanding their meaning was necessary for performing the dialogue convincingly.

She also sought advice about the physical details of hospital work. With numerous operating-room scenes in the series, she asked questions such as where a nurse should stand during a procedure, something an actor would rarely encounter in daily life.

That preparation did not make the fictional series a medical documentary. The Trauma Code deliberately combines hospital drama with heightened action and comedy. Still, the advice gave Ha Young practical reference points for portraying a professional who needs to appear comfortable inside a fast-moving trauma unit.

From Breakout Nurse to Romantic-Comedy Lead

Ha Young shared the story while promoting Our Sticky Love, her new Netflix romantic comedy with Jung Hae-in.

Released on Aug. 7, the series stars Ha Young as Go Eun-sae, an ambitious prosecutor who loses her memory while investigating a case. Jung plays Jang Tae-ha, a boxing coach who appears before her claiming to be her boyfriend. The situation forces the pair into an unusual living arrangement built around hidden motives, missing memories and developing romance.

The project represents a notable change of pace after Cheon Jang-mi. Instead of responding to medical emergencies as part of an ensemble, Ha Young now occupies the center of a romantic mystery opposite one of the genre’s most internationally recognized actors.

Her medical family background makes for an intriguing connection to The Trauma Code, but it does not explain the full appeal of her performance. The more important detail may be how she used the resources available to her while still making Jang-mi feel like her own character.