Song Joong-ki in Shanghai (Photo : Proya)
In early August, the representative of “Descendants of the Sun” actor Song Joong-ki said that the ban on South Korean performers in China on fan meets because of Seoul’s deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) does not apply to the 31-year-old Hallyu star.
It appeared otherwise because Vivo, a smartphone brand in China which the actor endorsed before the ban, pulled out his commercial but assured Song Joong-ki he would still receive in full the 22.8 million yuan ($3.4 million) talent fee agreed upon.
On Thursday, AllKpop reported that the actor was on stage at the promotional event of a Chinese cosmetic brand at the Qizhong stadium in Shanghai. He was alongside Zhang Ziyi, a top Chinese actress. The Chinese fans of the actor were so happy seeing their idol on stage despite the THAAD ban.
However, Song Joong-ki appears to be an exception to the rule since Movienewsguide cited Sports Chosun, a Korean news portal, that the contracts of several Korean TV artists with Chinese channels have been cancelled. The fan meet of “Uncontrollably Fond” actors Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-Bin in China was cancelled.
Unfortunately for the affected Hallyu stars, a survey found that four-fifths of the Chinese population supported the ban. However, given the fan reaction to seeing Soong Joong-ki in Shanghai, it appears all the remaining one-fifth were at Qizhong stadium cheering Song Joong-ki’s appearance.
