Hallyu star Song Joong Ki will not be seen promoting Vivo's X7 Smartphones anymore. The telecom giant has reportedly dropped the actor as its brand ambassador by revoking the contract with immediate effect.
If the rumors are to be believed, Vivo's decision on pulling back Song Joong Ki comes after prevailing tension between China and South Korea. Although neither of the concerned parties has confirmed the reason, the attribution is being pointed towards Chinese retaliations on the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) in South Korea.
While the Chinese mobile company has started withdrawing all the promotional stuff from the market, the payment agreement between the two reportedly remains withstand. Apparently, the 31-year-old will not bear any loss due to his revocation with the company. However, Vivo will be bearing all the financial and marketing loss by paying the actor in full as agreed upon before signing the contract. The promotional offer is said to be worth 22 million CN¥ (~$3.3 million USD).
Meanwhile, Descendent of the Sun star is currently busy filming for his upcoming movie Battleship Island. For now, the actor is not considering any role and wants to focus solely on the movie.
" It is true that Song Joong-Ki is receiving a variety of casting offers for dramas and films in China. However, we have not discussed his appearance in any project yet. The only project he has confirmed his casting for following 'Descendants of the Sun' is the film 'Battleship Island," his agency previously confirmed.
