– Ko Myung-woo (Jang Hyuk)
The drama also drew fire for depicting the Chinese city of Dalian as a rundown shantytown (reportedly filmed in old parts of Hong Kong) and featuring a red carpet with yellow stars that allegedly resembled the Chinese flag being stepped on.
Jun Ji Hyun's personal life is notably low-profile, centered on her marriage to , a businessman and CEO of Alpha Asset Management .
Critics also pointed to a scene featuring a red carpet with yellow stars resembling the Chinese national flag being stepped on, as well as a distorted recitation of a classic Li Bai poem, which was interpreted as cultural disrespect. The Corporate and PR Fallout Jun Ji Hyun Sex Scandal
: The drama featured scenes set in the Chinese city of Dalian but filmed them in rundown areas of Hong Kong. Viewers felt this intentionally portrayed modern Chinese cities as dilapidated shantytowns.
The search for such a scandal often highlights the "dark side" of celebrity culture—where successful women are frequently targeted with fabricated narratives to generate clicks. In Jun Ji-hyun’s case, the absence of any real scandal over a 25-year career serves as a testament to her carefully managed persona and the reality that, sometimes, the most famous people lead the most quiet personal lives.
In 2025, Jun Ji-hyun became the focal point of a geopolitical controversy when a line from her Disney+ drama, Tempest , sparked outrage among Chinese nationalists. In the series, her diplomat character asks, "Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall near the border". Chinese social media users saw this as a "malicious mischaracterisation of China as belligerent," leading to calls for brand boycotts. – Ko Myung-woo (Jang Hyuk) The drama also
There are no substantiated reports or credible evidence of a "sex scandal" involving South Korean actress (also known as Gianna Jun). She has maintained a highly respected public image throughout her decades-long career.
Jun Ji-hyun's brand partnerships suffered as a result. Luxury labels like La Mer, PIAGET, and Louis Vuitton were pressured to remove her from their social media channels. Some reports suggested she lost at least three major luxury brands, with potential losses estimated to be as high as 230 million yuan. The controversy also reignited debate over an unofficial Chinese ban on South Korean entertainment. Jun's agency clarified that the cancellation of a scheduled advertisement was not due to the drama, but the professional and financial impact was undeniable.
These issues are professional or incidental and have been clarified or resolved: The Corporate and PR Fallout : The drama
It was discovered that her then-agency, Sidus HQ, had illegally cloned her cell phone to monitor her private life and text messages. The Outcome:
. Instead, Jun Ji Hyun has recently been the subject of major controversies related to her professional work in China and false rumors regarding her personal life. The "Tempest" Controversy in China (2025) The most recent and significant controversy occurred in September 2025 following the release of her Disney+ series, (also referred to as