In brief
An episode of the K-drama 'Tempest' features a line from the character played by Jun Ji-hyun questioning why China prefers war, prompting outrage among Chinese social media users. The backlash has led to calls for brands to cut ties with the actress and discusses a long-standing unofficial ban on South Korean entertainment in China due to political tensions. Many viewers are connecting the controversy to past grievances, reigniting the debate on cultural exchanges between the two nations.
In the spy romance series Tempest, Jun Ji-hyun, one of South Korea's biggest stars, plays a diplomat trying to uncover the truth behind a deadly assassination. Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall near the border, her character says in one episode of the new Disney+ series. This fictional scene led to real consequences over the weekend, with many Chinese social media users taking it to be a malicious mischaracterisation of China as belligerent. Many are now calling for brands to sever ties with the Korean actress. The uproar has also reignited debate over an unofficial Chinese ban on South Korean entertainment, which has been in place for nearly a decade.While China has never admitted to a ban, the abrupt dearth of K-content since 2016 is widely believed to be a protest against South Korea's decision to deploy a US anti-missile system in 2016, which China sees as a threat to its military operations in the region. This past weekend's backlash following Jun's controversial line has led to renewed calls to maintain this prohibition.Several brands have reportedly removed Jun Ji-hyun from their advertising campaigns in response to the controversy, reflecting the power of Chinese consumers to influence international brands through perceived national slights.Defenders of Jun argue that she is merely an actress and not responsible for the script's content. Nonetheless, the controversy continues to stoke tensions between fans of South Korean entertainment and Chinese nationalism, highlighting the complicated relationship between the two cultural giants.
