in 2011, han was cast as the titular character in "spy myung-wol", as a north korean agent on a mission to kidnap a top south korean hallyu star, who ends up falling for him. the series gained notoriety when han failed to show up for her scheduled filming on august 14–15 and instead flew to los angeles on august 16; it was the first instance of a leading actor abruptly leaving in the middle of a korean drama shoot. her then-agency sidushq cited conflicts with television director hwang in-hyuk over her hectic working conditions, and that exhaustion had compromised her judgment. han's absence effectively halted production, and the kbs network lambasted her actions as "unilateral, irresponsible and will not be tolerated," while lee kim productions threatened legal action. after extensive press coverage, han returned to korea and continued filming "spy myung-wol" on august 18. upon arrival at incheon international airport, she apologized but maintained that her demands had been legitimate, stating "i want to believe that i did the right thing." han drew harsh criticism from tv industry professionals and viewers, but some fans defended her, saying the stressful korean drama live-shoot system was at fault.