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Kim Soo-hyun to proceed with controversial Chinese ad


Actor Kim Soo-hyun announced his decision to proceed with the disputed Chinese bottled water advertisement on Wednesday.

Kim’s management company, Keyeast Entertainment, explained that Hengda Group and Kim have come to a settlement in a press release.

“After rounds of discussion, China’s Hengda Group and Keyeast came to the agreement to fulfill the responsibility bound by the trust of two companies rather than resorting to extreme measures,” the management agency said.

Keyeast Entertainment continued to explain how the Chinese supply giant and the management agency realized it is at the point where more interaction and amicable cooperation based on deeper trust and understanding are needed.

“We acknowledge and comprehend that there were zero political intentions regarding the (labelling of the) water source of Hengda Bingquan -- the brand of bottled mineral water -- that is produced and sold in China.”

“(We) hope there will not be further misunderstandings or speculations,” the agency said, highlighting its wish to subdue the fiery public regarding its compromise.

The water source is at issue because the name was written as “Jang bai shan,” rather than using the Korean name, “Mount Baekdusan.”

Koreans expressed disappointment in the rising celebrity as the embattled tag is seen as China’s effort to insert the mountain range lying on the border of North Korea and China into the mainland.

Amid the escalating concerns and fury of Koreans, Kim requested that commercial contract be nullified on June 20 despite an expected penalty.

But Kim’s final decision to continue to model for the bottled water brand made his previous actions seem ludicrous.

“I’m just so disappointed in Kim. If he was going to carry on with the commercial, why even try to revoke?” an online user wrote on Korean portal site Nate.

Meanwhile, Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, who also sealed a deal with Hengda Group, departed abroad for a promotional event, with the public’s curiousity growing over how she will plan her next move.


By Ha Ji-won, Intern reporter (jiwonha@heraldcorp.com)