Korean goddess Jun Ji-hyun shot to Asian fame with ‘My Sassy Girl’ and ‘My Love from the Star,’ maintaining her spot as a top-tier actress for years. Her new drama ‘The Atypical Family’, co-starring Kang Dong-won, recently premiered and has performed well in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong ratings. However, a line in episode 4 – “Why does China prefer war?” – along with scenes depicting “Dalian as dirty and messy” (the filming location was actually Hong Kong), instantly ignited outrage among Chinese netizens.
As the controversy escalated, Jun Ji-hyun became a prime target, with her commercial endorsements being massively severed. According to Chinese media estimates, she has lost at least three major luxury brands—La Mer, PIAGET, and Louis Vuitton—bringing potential losses to as high as 230 million yuan (about 130 million ringgit). Adding breach-of-contract penalties could make the losses astronomical. An insider from the entertainment industry revealed that a Chinese clothing brand had originally scheduled a commercial shoot with Jun Ji-hyun in Seoul on the 25th, but due to the out-of-control public opinion, filming was canceled at the last minute.
Jun Ji-hyun’s agency, “PEACHY,” told Korean media outlet ‘Ilgan Sports’: “It’s true that the planned commercial shoot in Korea for the Chinese clothing brand has been canceled, but it wasn’t because of the ‘Atypical Family’ controversy. The decision to cancel was already under discussion before the broadcast; the timing just happened to overlap.” Making matters worse, Jun Ji-hyun only left her old agency this July to set up a new company “PEACHY” with her manager. Now, the official IG has been bombarded by “Little Pinks” (Chinese nationalist netizens) crossing the firewall to flood her account, eventually forcing them to disable comments entirely.
The “Little Pinks” have also begun digging up her so-called dark history. Fourteen years ago, she starred with Li Bingbing in ‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.’ During Cannes promo interviews, when Li Bingbing spoke, Jun Ji-hyun first looked down, then turned her head away and gazed elsewhere, supposedly inattentive or not listening to Li Bingbing—a move that “Little Pinks” deemed “disrespectful to Li Bingbing.” Their photos together have also been unearthed: the 173cm-tall Jun Ji-hyun towering over the 165cm Li Bingbing, and “Little Pinks” felt Jun Ji-hyun not only failed to accommodate the more petite Li Bingbing but even craned her swan neck to overshadow her. Some netizens claim that ‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan’ was originally set to star Jun Ji-hyun and Zhang Ziyi, with Zhang Ziyi as lead and producer, but she suddenly withdrew and Li Bingbing replaced her. Reportedly, when Jun Ji-hyun learned her co-star would not be Zhang Ziyi, she considered dropping out, but was persuaded to stay by Wendi Deng.
Additionally, in 2013, Jun Ji-hyun endorsed the Chinese mineral water brand “Evergrande Spring.” Its water source was labeled as China’s Changbai Mountain, which lies on the China-Korea border. The Korean side regards Changbai Mountain as Korean territory and calls it Baekdu Mountain, creating a territorial dispute. Jun Ji-hyun decisively terminated her contract.
As the controversy escalated, Jun Ji-hyun became a prime target, with her commercial endorsements being massively severed. According to Chinese media estimates, she has lost at least three major luxury brands—La Mer, PIAGET, and Louis Vuitton—bringing potential losses to as high as 230 million yuan (about 130 million ringgit). Adding breach-of-contract penalties could make the losses astronomical. An insider from the entertainment industry revealed that a Chinese clothing brand had originally scheduled a commercial shoot with Jun Ji-hyun in Seoul on the 25th, but due to the out-of-control public opinion, filming was canceled at the last minute.
Jun Ji-hyun’s agency, “PEACHY,” told Korean media outlet ‘Ilgan Sports’: “It’s true that the planned commercial shoot in Korea for the Chinese clothing brand has been canceled, but it wasn’t because of the ‘Atypical Family’ controversy. The decision to cancel was already under discussion before the broadcast; the timing just happened to overlap.” Making matters worse, Jun Ji-hyun only left her old agency this July to set up a new company “PEACHY” with her manager. Now, the official IG has been bombarded by “Little Pinks” (Chinese nationalist netizens) crossing the firewall to flood her account, eventually forcing them to disable comments entirely.
The “Little Pinks” have also begun digging up her so-called dark history. Fourteen years ago, she starred with Li Bingbing in ‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.’ During Cannes promo interviews, when Li Bingbing spoke, Jun Ji-hyun first looked down, then turned her head away and gazed elsewhere, supposedly inattentive or not listening to Li Bingbing—a move that “Little Pinks” deemed “disrespectful to Li Bingbing.” Their photos together have also been unearthed: the 173cm-tall Jun Ji-hyun towering over the 165cm Li Bingbing, and “Little Pinks” felt Jun Ji-hyun not only failed to accommodate the more petite Li Bingbing but even craned her swan neck to overshadow her. Some netizens claim that ‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan’ was originally set to star Jun Ji-hyun and Zhang Ziyi, with Zhang Ziyi as lead and producer, but she suddenly withdrew and Li Bingbing replaced her. Reportedly, when Jun Ji-hyun learned her co-star would not be Zhang Ziyi, she considered dropping out, but was persuaded to stay by Wendi Deng.
Additionally, in 2013, Jun Ji-hyun endorsed the Chinese mineral water brand “Evergrande Spring.” Its water source was labeled as China’s Changbai Mountain, which lies on the China-Korea border. The Korean side regards Changbai Mountain as Korean territory and calls it Baekdu Mountain, creating a territorial dispute. Jun Ji-hyun decisively terminated her contract.