Actor Shin Hyun-jun’s wife’s company has pushed back against favoritism allegations over 375.65 million won in Seoul city video production contracts, insisting the firm is not a hastily assembled bag company that cashed in on his unpaid role as the city’s honorary mayor.
The dispute surfaced at a Seoul Metropolitan Council administrative audit on November 4, when councilor Yoon Sun-hee of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee questioned how Jace & River, a bag, clothing and accessories design firm headed by Shin’s wife, won the contracts. Shin was appointed as Seoul’s honorary mayor, an unpaid position, in September 2025.
Yoon raised questions about the company’s video production experience and whether the contract amounts were appropriate, suggesting that while Shin served as honorary mayor without pay in public, his family’s company was being looked after behind the scenes. The scrutiny also extended to the city’s own vetting: Seoul publicity planning officer Kim Hyung-rae said the city does not review a company’s track record when deciding whether to award a negotiated contract.
Jace & River rejected the characterization outright. The company said film production, advertising and promotional video production, and agency work were included in its corporate purpose from its founding in 2022, denying that video work was hastily added at a particular point in time. It also said it produced 18 long-form videos for Seoul over two years, not the seven that had been reported, with around 15 professional staff involved and production costs of about 20 million won per video.
The company added that it had already produced branded content with Seoul before Shin’s appointment as honorary mayor, and said its representative has more than 10 years of hands-on experience in video production and the entertainment business.
Seoul city also drew a line between the two roles, saying the unpaid activities of honorary mayors and publicity ambassadors are separate from professional video production fees, and that follow-up contracts reflected the company’s earlier production experience and audience response to its content.
The audit exchange leaves the central question still open: whether a negotiated contract process that does not weigh past performance can fairly reward a firm tied to a city figure. The company maintains the work was won on its own record, and the city has so far stood by the contracts.
