"Legend of the Blue Sea" actress Jun Ji Hyun has unexpectedly been replaced as the brand ambassador of a Chinese company. The move comes in the wake of China's ban on Hallyu stars amid rising tensions over THAAD.
Several news outlets in China reported that a smartphone maker that recently hired Jun to promote the brand replaced the Korean star with Angelababy, according to The Kpop Herald. Jun had signed the contract with the company in October and has been replaced by the Chinese actress after just one month.
Song is a popular celebrity not only in Korea but also across Asia because of the SBS drama "The Legend of the Blue Sea," in which she stars as a mermaid opposite actor Lee Min Ho. Jun's replacement comes amid mounting tensions between China and South Korea over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) dispute.
China has strongly opposed Korea and the United States' deployment of the anti-ballistic missile system. In retaliation, China has imposed a ban on the broadcast of all Korean content in the mainland and this advertisements, dramas, films and television shows are no exception. As a result, Korean celebrities have either been dropped from broadcast or edited out of the content.
Jun is not the first celebrity to lose an endorsement because of the China's ban on Korean celebrities. "Descendants of the Sun" actor Song Joong Ki was recently replaced by Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng as the face of smartphone company Vivo.
However, China's State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) has not yet made an official statement on the broadcast ban of Hallyu stars. "I have never heard about any restrictions on the [Republic of Korea]," China Film Insider quoted Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang as saying in a recent press conference.
To learn more about China's alleged ban on Korean talent, watch the video below: