'North Star' line controversy prompts emergency for Jun Ji-hyun's China activities…advertising also halted one after another
Korean star Jun Ji-hyun's Disney+ original series North Star has been swept by fierce backlash in China. The problem is that the controversy surrounding the work has spread directly to Jun Ji-hyun's personal activities, and the fallout is growing, with advertising in China being halted one after another.
According to foreign media including the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), after a scene in episode 4 of North Star in which Moon-ju, a former U.N. ambassador turned presidential candidate played by Jun Ji-hyun, says, "Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall on the border area," was released, fierce criticism poured in online in China. Local internet users reacted, saying, "You distorted China's image," and "China pursues peace. It's an insult."
The controversy did not stop at a simple line issue. Scenes criticized included portraying Dalian as a dirty shantytown compared with Hong Kong, a scene in which a carpet bearing a five-star pattern is stepped on, and a scene in which a villain speaks lines in Chinese. Claims even arose that Jun Ji-hyun deliberately distorted the pronunciation when reciting lines from the ancient Chinese poet Li Bai, and the criticism spread uncontrollably.
What is particularly shocking is the impact on advertising. Reports followed that some cosmetics and watch brands for which Jun Ji-hyun serves as a model deleted online ads in China or stopped their exposure. Because she once caused the "Cheon Song-yi syndrome" across China with the work titled 'My Love from the Star,' analysis suggests that the strong fandom's expectations and affection have instead turned into anger in this incident.
Chinese internet users have responded, "Did they not feel anything while delivering that line? She could ruin her career in the Chinese market," "If this is not insulting China, what is?", and "We believed she was an actress who loved us, so this is disappointing." On the other hand, some voices defended her, saying, "The lines were written by the production team, not the actor, so blaming Jun Ji-hyun personally is excessive," and "It's just a setting in the drama, not an actual political statement."
North Star is causing a box-office storm beyond Korea into the global market, but this incident, which has spread to Jun Ji-hyun, is expected to trigger alarm about her activities in China and become a considerable burden on her future moves.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]