Actress Jeon Ji-hyun is facing an awkward situation after being embroiled in an anti-China controversy over a line in the Disney+ series "Polaris." There have been reports of postponed events and even cancellations of commercial shoots.
On the morning of the 23rd, one outlet reported that Jeon Ji-hyun's Chinese cosmetics and watch commercials were canceled. It was reported that the recently released line in the Disney+ original series "Polaris" sparked anti-China controversy and even prompted a boycott.
Jeon Ji-hyun currently appears as the female lead Seo Mun-ju in the Disney+ original series "Polaris." "Polaris" is an espionage romance series in which Mun-ju (Jeon Ji-hyun), who built an international reputation as a U.N. ambassador, pursues the forces behind the shooting of a presidential candidate and, together with Sanho (Gang Dong-won), a nationality-unknown special agent who must protect him, faces a huge truth that threatens the Korean Peninsula.
After the drama "My Love from the Star," Jeon Ji-hyun received passionate love from Chinese fans through various dramas such as "The Legend of the Blue Sea." For that reason, "Polaris," as a work featuring Jeon Ji-hyun, also drew the attention of Chinese fans.
Among them, Seo Mun-ju's line provoked backlash from some Chinese internet users. Seo Mun-ju's line, "Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall on the border area," was said to instill a distorted perception of China.
The line appears in the process of explaining the various international interests surrounding the wartime atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula. Domestically, there are also criticisms that it is excessive to take issue with a fictional setting in a drama rather than an actual situation.
However, Jeon Ji-hyun's side drew a line, calling the advertising boycott rumors "groundless."
A representative for Jeon Ji-hyun told OSEN on the morning of the 23rd, "The agency communicated with the local Chinese agency and received an answer that the reports are not true. The scheduled events and commercial shoots had been postponed before 'Polaris.' After several postponements, they were eventually decided to be canceled without extension. At the time, they cited local circumstances as the reason," they explained.
Nevertheless, aggressive criticism from some Chinese internet users toward scenes featuring Jeon Ji-hyun in "Polaris" has not ceased. In this regard, Disney+ has not expressed a separate position such as editing the scenes.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]