IU and Byun Woo-seok's apology falls on deaf ears... 'Grand Duchess' disposal petition emerges [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Following controversy over historical distortion, a call has been made to cancel the drama '21st Century Grand Duchess'.

On the 22nd, a petition titled "Request to halt the broadcast of the drama involving historical distortion and the East China Sea project controversy, and to dispose of its content on media platforms" was posted on the National Assembly's e-petition website.

The petitioner stated, "The currently airing drama 'OOOO OOOO' is set in a fictional South Korea but indiscriminately borrows Chinese-style clothing, etiquette, and vocabulary, committing clear cultural appropriation and historical distortion. This seriously tramples on national sentiment and distorts and spreads South Korea's cultural identity to the world. We demand not only post-production corrections by the production team but also the immediate halt of the drama's broadcast and its complete removal from VOD and OTT platforms. We strongly petition for the establishment of institutional measures to permanently exclude such culturally invasive media in the future."

The petitioner pointed out the drama's issues: "It uses the slogan 'Cheonsae' (Thousand Years), which belittles South Korea to the level of a vassal state, as an official royal term. While set against the backdrop of the Korean royal family, it exposes a clear 'Chinese-style tea ceremony' without filtering, rather than traditional Korean tea culture. It distorts and mixes the symbolic system of the Joseon king, instilling incorrect cultural perceptions among viewers."

In the petition, the drama's title is written as '○○○○ ○○○○'. However, based on the number of characters in the title and the content of the controversy, the drama is presumed to be '21st Century Grand Duchess'.

This petition was posted on the 22nd. As of 6:30 p.m. that day, it had received 17,569 signatures. If the petition gathers 50,000 signatures within 30 days by June 21, it will be referred to the relevant standing committee.

'Grand Duchess' depicts a romantic story of fate-breaking and class-transcending between Seong Hee-ju (played by IU), a woman who is a chaebol with everything but holds the status of a commoner, and Lee-an Daegun (played by Byun Woo-seok), the king's son who has nothing to inherit. The drama concluded with its final episode aired on the 16th, achieving a national viewership rating of 13.8% (based on Nielsen Korea's national household data), setting a new record for the series.

Although the drama ended with strong ratings, the 11th episode aired on the 15th sparked controversy over historical distortion and the East China Sea project. During Lee-an Daegun's coronation ceremony, the term 'Cheonsae', used by vassal states, appeared. Instead of the ten-flower crown (십이면류관) symbolizing the king, a nine-flower crown (구류면관) representing a vassal was shown. Additionally, scenes depicting characters following Chinese-style tea ceremonies further fueled the controversy.

In response, the production team of 'Grand Duchess', lead actors IU and Byun Woo-seok, director Park Jun-hwa, and writer Yoo Ji-won issued a formal apology. The production team announced that they would modify the audio and subtitles of the relevant scenes as quickly as possible in future rebroadcasts and on VOD and OTT platforms.

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*This content was translated by AI.