In the spy romance series Tempest, Jun Ji-hyun, one of South Korea's biggest stars, plays a diplomat trying to uncover the truth behind a deadly assassination.

"Why does China prefer war? A nuclear bomb could fall near the border," her character says in one episode of the new Disney series.

This fictional scene led to real consequences over the weekend, with many Chinese social media users taking it to be a malicious mischaracterisation of China as belligerent. Many are now calling for brands to sever ties with the Korean actress.

The uproar has also reignited debate over an unofficial Chinese ban on South Korean entertainment, which has been in place for nearly a decade.

While China has never admitted to a ban, the abrupt dearth of K-content since 2016 is widely believed to be a protest against South Korea's decision to deploy a US anti-missile system in 2016, which China sees as a threat to its military operations in the region.

Things had appeared to be easing in recent months, with a few South Korean performers holding concerts in China. But the controversy over Tempest has triggered a fresh wave of support for the ban.

"Keep the K-drama ban to the death, thank you," reads one Weibo comment liked by 10,000 users.

While much of the anger has coalesced around Jun's line about China, social media users have also dug up other examples from the series which they view as offensive.

For example, scenes meant to portray China's Dalian city feature a bunch of dilapidated buildings, believed to be shot in Hong Kong, which........

© BBC