[Full Text] IU Apologizes for 'Grand Duchess' Historical Distortion Controversy: "Failed to Recognize the Issue"

*This content was translated by AI.

Singer and actress IU apologized for the controversy over historical distortion in the drama '21st Century Grand Duchess,' in which she starred.

On the 18th, IU stated via her social media, "As the lead actress of the work, I feel I failed to show a responsible image and caused great disappointment, for which I sincerely apologize and my heart remains heavy even now."

She bowed her head, saying, "I unreservedly reflect on and apologize for not thinking more deeply about the various historical verification issues pointed out by viewers and proceeding with my acting."

She continued, "Since this was an important work that aimed to capture imagination based on our unique history and the traditional beauty of the Republic of Korea, I should have read and studied the script more carefully as an actress, yet I failed to do so, and I am ashamed of myself. I failed to properly recognize the issue in advance. I am sorry." She apologized again.

She added, "I will always remember the precious criticisms and opinions you have sent, and I will become an IU who approaches works with a more careful and thorough attitude going forward. I am sorry once again."

'21st Century Grand Duchess' is a drama depicting the fateful romance of breaking class barriers between Seong Hee-ju (played by IU), a woman who has everything as a chaebol but is merely a commoner and is annoyed, and Prince Lee-an (played by Byun Woo-seok), the king's son who has nothing and is sad, set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy Republic of Korea. The final episode, which aired on the 16th, concluded with a national viewership rating of 13.8% (based on Nielsen Korea national households), setting a new internal record.

However, apart from its box office success, controversies surrounding the drama continued. In particular, the 11th episode, which aired on the 15th, was engulfed in controversies over historical distortion and the Northeast Project, featuring scenes where the term 'Cheonsae,' used by vassal states during Prince Lee-an's enthronement ceremony, appeared instead of the 'Guryumyeongwan' (nine-rank official hat) meaning vassal, and characters following Chinese-style tea ceremony methods.

As criticism grew, the production team stated through its official website, "This incident occurred because the production team failed to carefully examine how Joseon's etiquette changed throughout history." They added, "'21st Century Grand Duchess' is a drama with the characteristics of both a romance and an alternative history, requiring careful and deep consideration regarding the parts where a fictional world and real historical contexts intersect, but we lacked the effort to refine the world-building meticulously and examine it more closely."

◆ Full text of IU's apology.

Hello. I am IU, who played the role of Seong Hee-ju in 21st Century Grand Duchess.

Over the past few days, I carefully read every single comment left by many viewers.

As the lead actress of the work, I feel I failed to show a responsible image and caused great disappointment, for which I sincerely apologize and my heart remains heavy even now.

I unreservedly reflect on and apologize for not thinking more deeply about the various historical verification issues pointed out by viewers and proceeding with my acting.

Since this was an important work that aimed to capture imagination based on our unique history and the traditional beauty of the Republic of Korea, I should have read and studied the script more carefully as an actress, yet I failed to do so, and I am ashamed of myself. I failed to properly recognize the issue in advance. I am sorry.

I am grateful to everyone who watched the work until the end and did not hold back their words.

I will always remember the precious criticisms and opinions you have sent, and I will become an IU who approaches works with a more careful and thorough attitude going forward. I am sorry once again.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.