Actor Jeon Ji-hyun is being criticized by Chinese internet users over a line in the drama "Polaris."
On the 20th (local time), the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that reactions were emerging that the line by Jeon Ji-hyun in episode 4 of "Polaris" "insulted China."
According to the outlet, a scene has recently been edited and circulated on Chinese social media from the Disney+ original series "Polaris," in which Jeon Ji-hyun, who plays a presidential candidate and former U.N. ambassador, says in the drama, "Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall on the border area."
The outlet said Chinese internet users are criticizing the line as smearing China's image and not matching reality. They pushed back, saying, "China does not love war. We pursue peace." Another person criticized, "If China really liked war, you wouldn't even be able to film a drama here." There were also opinions that the context of the line should be considered, but they did not draw as much attention as other posts.
They also took issue with the drama's filming locations. The scene set in Dalian, northeastern China, was shot in Hong Kong, and the claim is that the production team deliberately filmed a shabby shantytown area in dark tones, damaging Dalian's urban image.
Other internet users argued that a scene where a carpet with a five-star pattern symbolizing China is stepped on and the villain speaking Chinese in the drama reinforced negative images. The outlet reported that there was also an internet user who said Jeon Ji-hyun deliberately distorted the pronunciation while reciting a verse by the ancient Chinese poet Li Bai (Li Taibai).
Some are also staging boycotts of companies for which Jeon Ji-hyun works as a model, and some cosmetics and watch brands are said to have pulled their ads. Jeon Ji-hyun gained huge popularity in China with the 2014 drama "My Love From the Star."
In China, services like Disney+ and Netflix are not officially available, but they can be easily watched through workarounds. Recently, a cooking competition variety show that seemed to copy the Netflix program "Culinary Class Wars" was produced in China, sparking controversy.