'You Who Came From The Stars' co-stars Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun are now involved in a controversy after it has come to light that both modeled for Chinese mineral water brand, Hongda Bingchuan, which is getting the water from Baekdu mountain.
The mountain is located on the border of China and North Korea. The mountain is called Baekdu-san in Korean (White Headed Mountain) and is a sacred place in Korean culture. The founding legend of Korea's ancestral origin and the beginning of the first Korean kingdom (Gojoseon 2333 BC108 BC) is said to have started here. However, there's a dispute because China has also claimed ties to the mountain, which they call Changbai Mountain, and has been promoting the term which has angered many Koreans who felt that China was re-educating people on the history of the mountain. Due to both countries claiming ties to the mountain, having their home-country stars Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun promote water under the name of Changbai Mountain rather than Baekdu-san, has made the matter controversial in Korea.
A rep from Jun Ji Hyun's agency told Star News, "There is a controversy involving her as a model for Chinese Hongda Group's mineral water, Honga Bingchuan. Honestly, we did not know they were naming Changbai Mountain as the source. We should have paid attention to that part, but we did not. We apologize. Currently, we are in discussion over various matters with the Chinese party and are even having continuous meetings within the agency."
When asked whether they could stop the contract, the rep said, "We already finished all the filming, so it's hard to reach a concrete conclusion yet."
Likewise, Kim Soo Hyun's reps told Newsen that they only knew that it was Hongda mineral water when they signed the contract and are also discussing the related content with the Chinese party.
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