Jun ji-hyun He is under an intense control in China after his new Disney+ drama Storm He turned on the disputes, triggering boycotts, removal of announcements and even the speculation of a potential “prohibition” from the market.
Controversial dialogue in storm
Stormissued globally on September 10, follows the United Nations Ambassador Moon-Joo (played by Jun ji-hyun) while investigating a political conspiracy together with a mysterious agent, played by Kang Dong-Won.
In episode 4, Moon-Joo asks: “Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall on the border.” The line was immediately welcomed with Fury of Chinese spectators, who accused the show “Insult China”.
Netizen on Weibo supported:
- China does not like war. We pursue peace.
- If China really loved war, you wouldn’t even be allowed to film this drama.
Other points of dispute included:
- An Hong Kong Shantytown depicted as the Chinese city of Dalian.
- A scene in which a five -star rug was trampled on, interpreted as a lack of respect for the Chinese flag.
- Bad that speak Chinese lines, seen as a deliberate negative representation.
- Accusations that Jun ji-hyun The verses erroneously ready by the poet of the Tang Li Bai dynasty on purpose.
The brands cut bonds with Jun ji hyun
The controversy rapidly poured into its commercial sponsorships:
- Mer has removed all the promotional images of Jun ji hyun From his Chinese website and blocked his name on social media searches.
- Piaget has eliminated his images of the campaign from Taobao and his homepage.
- Ecovacs, who had appointed him ambassador for his line of void robot in May 2024, announced that their contract ended at the beginning of 2025 and had moved away from the scandal.
Starting now, Louis Vuitton has not yet answered, but his Weibo page has been overwhelmed by the comments that push the brand to leave it.
From the beloved star to the target boicotta
Jun ji-hyun once he was worshiped by the Chinese public, thanks to the enormous success of My love from the star (2014). It has become one of the most sought -after Korean supported in China, with a faithful base of fans who raised her to Superstar status.
That loyalty now seems broken. On Weibo, hashtags related to “boycott Jun ji-hyun“Exceeded 1 billion views. Some fans wrote: “He betrayed Chinese spectators by acting in this drama” AND “His career in the Chinese market is over.”
The employees in the sector estimate that the financial losses from cut leftovers and interrupted campaigns could reach 200 million RMB (about 741 billion KRW). Reports suggest that it could face compensation requests from interested brands.
The scandal adds to Jun ji-hyunThey are already difficult personal circumstances. According to reports, the actress is transporting a KRW KRW debt of KRW (287 billion KRW) linked to her husband’s entrepreneurial initiatives. With the possibility of further financial penalties in China, its burden could grow significantly.
Observers compared Jun ji-hyunThe difficult situation of that of Lisa di Blackpink, which was actually inserted in China after performing at the Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris in 2023, an act considered inappropriate by Chinese authorities and netizen.
Despite the turmoil in China, Disney+ revealed it Storm It has become the most observed original Korean version of 2025 all over the world, including Korea and the Asia-Pacific Region. The drama was praised for Jun ji-hyun And the Kang Dong-Won chemistry and its powerful cast of ensemble.
Starting now, neither of them Jun ji-hyun nor the production team of Storm He issued an official declaration regarding the dispute.
Sources: Scmp, Saints Ilbo, Hankyung.com, 163, Weibo
