"Historical distortion, transfer to Fair Trade Commission" — Public backlash spreads... 'Grand Duchess' director takes on the issue in an interview today (19th) [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

'21st Century Grand Duchess' main director Park Jun-hwa will directly address the controversy over "historical distortion."

Director Park Jun-hwa will conduct an interview marking the conclusion of MBC's Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Duchess' at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 19th.

Had the situation unfolded as planned, this would have been a session to reveal behind-the-scenes stories of a work that concluded its 12-episode run with a high viewership rating of 13.8%. However, with the "historical distortion" controversy intensifying, the interview is expected to serve as a platform for explanation.

'21st Century Grand Duchess' faced persistent accusations of historical distortion and research errors throughout its broadcast. The production team's attitude ultimately led to a fatal error in the 11th episode, which aired on the 15th, depicting the king's accession ceremony. Seong Hee-ju (played by IU) was referred to not as "queen consort" but as "military consort," a demotion. Inaccurate costume research and the portrayal of Chinese-style tea ceremony were minor issues by comparison.

In the 11th episode, Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok) wore a "gu-ryu-myeon-rwan" (a nine-tiered crown) used by Chinese vassal states instead of the "sip-yeon-myeon-rwan" (ten-tiered crown) worn by the Emperor of Jaju. Furthermore, the ministers chanted "Cheon-se, Cheon-se, Cheon-cheon-se" — a phrase used by vassal states — rather than "Man-se," the symbol of Jaju, fueling the historical distortion controversy.

In response, IU and Byun Woo-seok issued official apology statements on their respective social media accounts on the 18th as lead actors. The production team also stated on the 16th via the official '21st Century Grand Duchess' website, "We sincerely apologize for the concern caused by issues related to world-building settings and historical research."

However, with '21st Century Grand Duchess' now released globally via the OTT platform Disney+, public opinion has not turned in the production team's favor given the serious research errors. Criticism demanding the show's cancellation has grown uncontrollably, with many citing "international embarrassment." This is because settings previously criticized for lacking plausibility — such as three consecutive palace fires, the attempt to extinguish a palace fire in the "21st Century" using a "water bucket," Prince Lee An exercising regency powers akin to the Japanese imperial system, the scene where the highest-ranking royal elder, Daegong, kneels and apologizes to a lower-ranking prince while dressed in mourning attire, and the application of the "penalty point system," a culture of top-down obedience from the Japanese colonial era, to the royal school attended by the protagonist — are now being exposed. The reason public opinion has coalesced around calls for cancellation is that these are not simple errors due to insufficient research but are now linked to broader controversies over historical distortion, including the Northeast Project and the pro-Japanese New Right, by the series' conclusion.

Director Park Jun-hwa finds himself in an unprecedented situation where he must provide explanations not just for the 11th episode but for almost every episode. It remains to be seen what stance he will take during the interview.

'21st Century Grand Duchess' is an original screenplay by writer Yoo Ji-won and was the winning entry in the 2022 MBC Script Competition. Writer Yoo, who made her debut with this work, has remained silent.

Meanwhile, the historical distortion controversy surrounding '21st Century Grand Duchess' has been formally filed as a complaint with the National Ombudsman's Office. A netizen verified this on the early morning of the 18th on the onLINE community. Already on the 15th, a post titled "'21st Century Grand Duchess' historical distortion and Northeast Project controversy. How to file a complaint with the National Ombudsman's Office" had appeared, urging, "Let's all file a complaint together."

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*This content was translated by AI.