Drama Broadcast Canceled Due to Tax Evasion Allegations and Expulsion... Chinese Court Orders "Pay 11 Billion Won in Compensation"

Jeongsang Fined Over 50 Billion Won for Tax Evasion
Drama Filming Completed but Not Aired

A famous Chinese actress who was expelled from the entertainment industry along with a fine of 50 billion won for tax evasion charges will also have to pay a huge compensation for the failed airing of a drama.

On the 27th (local time), according to local media such as Shanghai Shangguan News, the Shanghai Songjiang District People's Court recently ruled in favor of a film and drama investment company in a damage compensation lawsuit filed against actress Zheng Shuang (32), ordering her to pay 60 million yuan (about 11 billion won), including a performance fee of 30.5 million yuan (about 5.6 billion won) and interest.

Photo by Baidu Capture

The investment company cast Zheng Shuang as the female lead in a drama in 2016 and paid a large appearance fee before completing filming. However, when the drama could not be broadcast due to Zheng Shuang's misconduct such as surrogate childbirth and tax evasion, they filed a lawsuit. The drama, titled "Bi Cui Yeonin," is a fantasy romance set in the 1930s and is also actor Lee Jong-seok's entry into the Chinese market.

"Bi Cui Yeonin" faced difficulties in airing as its schedule was delayed due to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) conflict and the resulting ban on Korean content, compounded by Zheng Shuang's personal scandals and tax evasion revelations.

Earlier, in 2021, Chinese tax authorities imposed a fine of 299 million yuan (about 55.1 billion won) on Zheng Shuang, who was suspected of hiding high appearance fees.

Zheng Shuang rose to stardom as the female lead in the Chinese version of "Boys Over Flowers," titled "Let's Watch the Meteor Shower Together (一起來看流星雨)" which aired in 2009. However, her ex-husband Zhang Heng revealed that Zheng Shuang had two children through surrogacy in the United States and claimed that she forced abortions and adoptions, sparking a huge controversy. Under Chinese law, hiring a surrogate mother is strictly prohibited.

As a result, in January 2021, the National Radio and Television Administration, the Chinese equivalent of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission, ordered Zheng Shuang to suspend broadcasting activities and be expelled, while erasing all traces of her from all media.