Disney's live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" has stirred up controversy in Korea due to the choice of promotional material featuring NewJeans' Danielle, the voice actress for Ariel in the Korean dubbed version, instead of Halle Bailey, the lead actress.

As the film's target audience comprises primarily children, concerns have been raised that the promotional campaign could lead to confusion among young viewers, who might mistake Danielle for the "real" Ariel.

Upon the announcement of NewJeans Danielle as the voice actress for Ariel, Disney Korea embarked on an extensive promotional campaign, featuring Danielle prominently on posters, billboards, and major television channels such as SBS.

This decision sparked a wave of criticism from Korean audiences, who were expecting to see Halle Bailey, the lead actress, in the promotional material.

Korean netizens took to various online platforms to voice their discontent with the promotional strategy.

Here are some of the comments that captured the prevailing sentiment:

"Why are they showing the face of the voice actress instead of the main actress? Is this an animated film instead of a live-action?"

"The trailer is no different. There isn't a single direct shot of Halle Bailey."

"This way, children will mistake Danielle for the lead actress and go to the theaters expecting to see her."

"They hyped up the 'black little mermaid' but didn't show her face in the trailer. What's up with that?"

Despite the controversy surrounding the promotional campaign, "The Little Mermaid" live-action film premiered in Korea on May 24th as scheduled.

It remains to be seen how the public reception will unfold and whether the concerns raised by netizens will impact the film's success in the Korean market.

What are your thoughts?

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Kim Soo Hyun’s recent controversy is now affecting his appearance on MBC’s Good Day, with some viewers demanding that he leave the show.

On March 12, a post titled "ㄱㅅㅎ should step down" appeared on the viewer feedback section of Good Day, sparking discussion online.

The post’s author wrote, "G-Dragon’s show is supposed to be for fun, so what’s this controversy with ㄱㅅㅎ? He should voluntarily step down," directly calling for Kim Soo Hyun’s removal from the program.

Good Day is a music project variety show led by G-Dragon, where he collaborates with well-known figures from different fields to create a song representing the year. Kim Soo Hyun, who shares the same birth year as G-Dragon, was added to the show as part of the ’88 line, winning fans over with his friendly and lighthearted image.

However, things took a turn when Kim Soo Hyun became embroiled in controversy regarding allegations of a past romantic relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron when she was still a minor. While his agency strongly denied the claims, calling them "false information," additional photos showing affectionate moments between the two—such as a cheek kiss—along with text messages sent by Kim Sae Ron, have only fueled the public’s doubts.

Although the viewer feedback post did not mention his full name, Kim Soo Hyun is the only cast member whose initials match "ㄱㅅㅎ," making it clear that the post was referring to him.

Meanwhile, Kim Soo Hyun is also set to star in Disney+’s upcoming drama Knock-Off, with the first season scheduled to be released soon. However, with his controversy continuing to spread, even Knock-Off is facing growing concerns.

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