South Korean icon Jun Ji-hyun is back on the small screens after four years, but Chinese netizens have a bone to pick with her.

Ji-hyun, who last starred in the 2021 drama Jirisan, plays Seo Mun-ju, a skilled former diplomat who tries to uncover the truth behind an attempt made on the life of presidential candidate Jang Jun-ik (Park Hae-joon) in the ongoing Disney+ political thriller Tempest. 

While fans of the 43-year-old are excited about her return, some scenes in the drama have angered Chinese netizens.

In episode four, Mun-ju remarked, "Why does China favour war?" before adding that it does not make sense for them to do so as a nuclear bomb could fall on the border between South Korea and China. 

In another scene, Chinese netizens felt the show was portraying Chinese city Dalian as a "dirty" place, and some claimed it appeared to have been filmed in Hong Kong instead.

Besides calling for a boycott, netizens took to Douban, a Chinese platform where users can rate and comment on films and dramas, to express their anger.

One felt the drama "maliciously distorted" China's image, writing: "The villains frequently speak broken Chinese and they use Hong Kong's old neighbourhoods combined with a gloomy filter to portray Dalian as a slum. The targeting is self-evident. Ji-hyun, why did you take this drama?"

"What kind of inferiority complex does South Korea have to keep smearing China? How ignorant must one be to so easily accept and say such lines?" another remarked.

According to media reports, the drama had an initial rating of 7.1 out of 10 on Douban. It currently has 4.2 stars. 

Ji-hyun's advertisements have reportedly been removed from Chinese social media platforms after netizens complained to the brands. She currently endorses La Mer, Maison Piaget and Louis Vuitton.

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Tempest, which also stars Gang Dong-won, is streaming on Disney+ with new episodes released every Wednesday. 

syarifahsn@asiaone.com