"Historical distortion, transfer to Fair Trade Commission" — Public backlash spreads... 'Grand Duchess' director takes the lead in 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 proceeded as planned, this would have been a session to reveal behind-the-scenes stories of the 12th-episode series, which concluded with a high viewership rating of 13.8%. However, with the "historical distortion" controversy intensifying, the interview is expected to become a platform for explanation.

'21st Century Grand Duchess' faced persistent accusations of historical distortion and factual 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 compared to these issues.

In the 11th episode, Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok) wore a "gu-ryu-myeon-rwan" (a nine-streamer crown) used by Chinese vassals, rather than the "sip-rye-myeon-rwan" (ten-streamer crown) worn by the Emperor of the independent nation. Furthermore, the ministers chanted "Cheon-se, Cheon-se, Cheon-cheon-se" — a phrase used by vassal states — instead of "Man-se," the symbol of the independent nation, 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 the lead actors. The production team also stated on the 16th on 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 due to the serious factual errors. Criticism demanding the series be "scrapped" has grown uncontrollably, citing "international embarrassment." This is because settings previously criticized for lacking plausibility are now being exposed: 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 elder of the royal family, dressed in mourning attire, kneels and apologizes to a lower-ranking prince; and the application of the "penalty point system," a culture of strict hierarchy from the Japanese colonial era, to the royal school attended by the protagonist. These elements are now being linked to broader controversies over historical distortion, including the Northeast Project and pro-Japanese New Right ideologies, leading to public calls for the series to be scrapped.

Director Park Jun-hwa finds himself in an unprecedented situation, required to provide explanations not only for the 15th episode but for virtually 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 Complaint Center. A netizen confirmed 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 Complaint Center" had appeared, urging, "Let's all file a complaint together."

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*This content was translated by AI.