Historical Vietnamese king turned into k-fag singer.
A tea product featuring the face of a South Korean celebrity has turned into a royal pain for its manufacturer.
Đức Phượng Imperial Tea, a tea company based in Huế, has drawn scrutiny from members of the public and local authorities for using an image of Song Joong-ki, a popular South Korean actor, on its packaging for a tea product named after a Vietnamese emperor.
The company specializes in making what is known as trà cung đình, or imperial tea, a beverage historically enjoyed by royalty in Vietnam’s former capital. One of its key product lines, all of which are monarchy-themed, is Minh Mạng tea. Its namesake is derived from the regnal title of Nguyễn Phúc Đảm, the second emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty who reigned the country in the 1800s.
Confusion and concern arose after a news outlet reported photos of Minh Mạng tea packages sold to consumers with Song Joong-ki as a visualizer. The actor is shown spotting a red dallyeong, a traditional costume reserved for court officials and upperclassmen in feudal Korea. The image is taken from a scene in the historical drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal where he plays a noble scholar from the Joseon dynasty. The show gave Song his breakout role and was massively popular in Vietnam when it came out in 2010.
