At the age of 44, Jang Nara's youthful face and appearance surprised the audience. Many people even think that Jang Nara looks like a 20-year-old girl, not too different from when she starred in the movie "The stubborn Principess" 20 years ago.
However, amid compliments, Chinese netizens have mentioned a controversial statement in the past, which caused Jang Nara to be boycotted in the country of a billion people.
In 2005, thanks to playing the main role with To Huu Bang in the TV series "The stubborn Prince", Jang Nara became one of the most famous Korean stars in China.
Jang Nara's sweet and lovely appearance in the film has conquered the hearts of the audience. Since then, Jang Nara's singer and actor career has flourished in the Chinese market.
Not only releasing a Chinese album, Jang Nara has also become the only foreign star invited to participate in the classic MV "Bac Kinh Welcomes You" - the theme MV of the 2008 Beijing Olympics - along with dozens of other famous Chinese stars such as Thanh Long, Huynh Hieu Minh, Vuong Luc Hoanh, Ha Nhuan Dong, Tran Khon...
But a female star with a bright future completely ruined her career in the Chinese market, just because of a controversial statement on a variety show.
In 2009, when appearing on a Korean variety show, Jang Nara talked about her father investing in movies but failing, the money she earned was not enough to compensate.
Jang Nara later said that she would go to China when she received an invitation. Jang Nara's words at first glance did not cause controversy. But the show's crew pushed the actress into a storm when they added, "If you don't have money, go to China to perform".
Jang Nara's sharing in collaboration with the show's crew was heavily criticized. A boycott wave followed, leading to a decline in her career in China.
Although Jang Nara and her father have repeatedly apologized and clarified that "the program's translation caused trouble", it has not deterred the public.
Many TV series and movies in which she played the main role have been frozen by Chinese audiences. In the end, she sadly left the Chinese market.
After returning to Korea, Jang Nara lost the support of Chinese audiences and the support of many film resources, her acting career had a period of decline.
It was not until 2017 that Jang Nara received attention again with the movie "Couple Over Time". Last year, Jang Nara made a transformation when she took on the role of divorce lawyer in the drama "Good Partner".
In 2022, Jang Nara married her husband, a photographer 6 years her junior. Her married life is easy, fulfilling and noisy. Her career is also on the rise.
But Chinese audiences can hardly ignore the controversy in her past. Whenever Jang Nara's status is at the top of popular searches, there will always be harsh mockery in the comments section: "Do you lack money? ".
