Jun Ji-Hyun may be Chinese

[Lance]

Could Korean actress Jun Ji Hyun be Chinese? Recently there have been allegations that the actress has hid her Chinese roots to succeed in the Korean entertainment industry.

Her father allegedly is an ethnic Chinese, and she has been reported as also an ethnic Chinese by local media. The rumor has further been fueled by the changing of her original surname "Wang" to "Jun." Wang is a common Chinese name, however it is also common in Korea as well.

The actress released the following statement:

"What about it if I am an ethnic Chinese? I don't understand why it needs to be hidden. Isn't it a good thing since I would also be able to speak Chinese? Sometimes I even think that it is too bad that I am not an ethnic Chinese when I hear those rumors."

Source: Korean Herald

[VIERAN]

oh my idol, whatever her ethnicity is i still love her and for me, i've known her as korean actress and that will never be changed.

[ZeroRegret]

Haha i dont think it would make much of a difference whether she is Chinese or Korean. shes a fantastic actress altogether so who cares?

[Krazoom]

To me it doesn't make a difference what she is but if this is true I don't think it's right for someone to conceal their heritage. My question though is would Korea had liked her less if she debuted there as a Chinese actress who was fluent in Korean?

[ukrshim]

Jun ji-hyun is not ethnic chinese. Her birthname, Wang, while not common, is an old Korean surname. The founder of Goryo (Koryo) was Wang Gun. There is thought that even his surname was at one time "Kim" and was changed by a recent ancestor of his. But without digressing too much, it should be noted that this surname was at one time so extremely common in middle period Korea that it rivalled Kim and Park. The Goryo monarchs handed this surname out to every Korean of distinction as a royal gift, as it were. If fact the survivng royal family of Balhae were given this surname when they fled to Goryo at the end of the 9th century. It was given to military commanders, high civil servants and the like as rewards for meritorious service. Why this name isn't common today is a fact that all Koreans should know but probably don't.

When Yi Sung-Gye established the Joseon dynasty through a coup de etat, he and his heirs determined to wipe out the old dynasty survivors. He basically gave a edict that anyone with the surname Wang, whether related to the toppled royal family or not would be killed. Indeed, he did murder nearly every last remaining immediate members of the Goryo royal family. Those who were distantly related or not related but carried that name as a legacy of royal favors were all treated as enemies of the new dynasty. So en masse, everyone changed his/her name to either "Jun" or "Oak", which added a couple of strokes in hanja for a convenient change. These surnames did not exist before in Korea. They are fairly common now.

Everyone with surname of Jun or Oak know they are all descended from Wangs and also know the history behind the changes.

The Koreans with surname of Wang today came to reuse this name after two hundred or so years after the establishment of the Joseon dynasty. The now entrenched Joseon dynasty no longer felt treatened. This was during the reign of Youngjo, a very prosperous time. When a small group of now Jun's petitioned to be allowed to reuse their orginal name, this was granted. Only a small number of the then Jun's and Oak's bothered to rechanged their surnames.

So today's Korean with this surname are decendants of a very old surname with a long and sad history. Because most Koreans are confused about this part of our history, they confuse the name with ethnic chinese.

My sense is the Jun Ji-Hyun changed her last name to a more recognizible Korean surname because she wanted to avoid this misunderstanding. And as Jun was also the surname of her more recent ancestors, this was a logical move. More to the point, she doesn't look anything like a chinese.

I'm Korean but not a Wang but at least I'm not making speculation about Jun Ji-Hyun without knowing the story. If an ethnic chinese tried to pass herself off as a Korean I feel agrieved. Every ethnic chinese I've seen never look a whit like a Korean. I think this would be far fetched feat to pass off oneself as someone one isn't. But I would understand the furor if someone were trying to pull off a hoax like this, although this isn't the case.

[viks]

ethnicity is not a problem......she beautiful ..she can act..that all we need......love ya J J Hyun

[zettas]

i love her..she`s pretty..!!!

[sage6693]

She is a great actress

[dongbangshinki_tvxq]

It doesnt matter what her ethnicity is.
She's very talented and it should overshadow this issue..

[jonairz]

people are so racist these days..