"The Legend of the Blue Sea" star Jun Ji Hyun reportedly been replaced by a Chinese actress on an advertisement campaign. This is after the Chinese government's ban on Hallyu stars.
In a report by The KpopHerald, the 35-year old actress has been replaced as model for a Chinese mobile phone brand with Chinese actress Angelababy. Jun signed with the company in October, however, after just a month the company suddenly terminated its contract.
Correspondingly, Hallyu star Song Joong-ki's recent ad for Vivo, a smartphone company in China has been cancelled. The Korean star was later replaced by Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng.
Joong Ki reportedly signed with Vivo to model the X7 smartphone for 22.8 million yuan ($3.4 million USD). However, recent reports by Chinese media outlets revealed the announcement of Vivo about Joong Ki's contract withdrawal, Soompi reported.
It was reported that the withdrawal of Joong Ki's contract is a result of unavoidable circumstances, and that the actor will still receive his ad fee in full. Also, the actor's Chinese drama offers have fallen through.
The drop has been linked as an economic retaliation by China since Korea has agreed to host a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) last July. THAAD is an advanced American missile defense technology - to better South Korea's defense system against North Korea's constant military threats. It is worth noting that Beijing has previously expressed their opposition to THAAD, saying its deployment on the Korean peninsula threatens Chinese national security interests.
Following China's announcement on Hallyu ban, coverage of Korean celebrities and reviews of Korean films have then disappeared from mainland media. A Chines company was even fined $14,500 USD for allegedly trying to pursue a K-pop performance without the government's approval.
China has been one of the top consumers of the Hallyu wave. However, their government is yet to confirm until when is the Hallyu freeze.
Catch Jun as the last mermaid on earth on SBS' hit drama "The Legend of the Blue Sea" below:
