"'Grand Duchess' Provides Pretext for China's Northeast Project" Historical Accuracy Controversy Strikes Again [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Seo Gyeong-deok, a Korean public relations expert, pointed out the historical accuracy controversy surrounding '21st Century Grand Duchess'.

On the 19th, Seo Gyeong-deok (Prof.) stated, "The controversy over historical distortion in MBC's recent drama '21st Century Grand Duchess' is growing, which is a very worrying situation." He added, "In the 11th episode aired on the 15th, the term 'Cheonse' (Heavenly Longevity), used by vassal states, appeared during the coronation ceremony of Crown Prince Lee An, and a 'Guryumyeon-gwan' (a hat signifying a vassal) was shown instead of the 'Sipimyeon-gwan' (a hat signifying an emperor), sparking a historical distortion controversy. Additionally, scenes where characters in the drama follow Chinese-style tea ceremony methods rather than Korean traditional methods drew strong backlash from viewers."

He continued, "As netizens' criticism continued, the production team issued an apology late on the 16th. Currently, the related controversy is spreading on online communities and SNS in the Chinese-speaking world." He emphasized, "Most importantly, the biggest problem with this controversy is that it provides a pretext for China's Northeast Project. If a historical content piece is viewed by audiences worldwide through global OTT platforms, it must ensure not only accurate historical verification but also carefully check for historical distortion by neighboring countries. Overlooking this point is the most painful aspect."

Seo Gyeong-deok (Prof.) added, "The controversies surrounding SBS's 'Joseon Exorcist' and MBC's '21st Century Grand Duchess' should now serve as a mirror, and we must be careful to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future."

Earlier, Korean history instructor Choi Tae-seong also mentioned the historical accuracy controversy of '21st Century Grand Duchess' on the 18th, saying, "Phew. Another historical distortion controversy. At this point, are we even carp?"

Choi Tae-seong stated, "We are leading the global Hallyu culture. We now need a system that matches that status." He noted, "We still lack such a system or it is at a craft level. Historical terms, costumes, and dialogue. Despite historical distortion controversies erupting repeatedly, we remain stuck in the same place."

He further remarked, "While paying hundreds of millions of won without hesitation for actors' appearance fees, why try to settle historical verification costs with only a few hundred thousand won?" He asked, "Why is the time required for historical verification so disregarded for program production?"

Choi Tae-seong suggested, "Production teams should stop worrying and entrust their works to a research institute that can safely handle scripts, costumes, and sets in a one-stop manner without deep consideration." He added, "It seems time to stop such worries. It is exhausting to work hard to make a good historical drama, only to receive such criticism, isn't it?"

Additionally, during the broadcast, Shim Yong-hwan, director of the History N Education Research Institute, pointed out, "Overall, the historical verification is lacking. The setting of Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok) acting as regent on behalf of a young king is historically impossible." He also noted, "The plot was also influenced by Japan."

Shim Yong-hwan stated, "Joseon was not a country that used point penalties. The point penalty system in the royal school in '21st Century Grand Duchess' shows a lack of understanding of Joseon. I am very angry. This point penalty system is a top-down obedience style like 'Do as I say' that emerged during the Japanese colonial period and the dictatorship era; it is not Joseon culture. Joseon was a country that, even when writing answers, used essays, discussed, communicated, and deliberated to seek the truth."

Meanwhile, '21st Century Grand Duchess' was engulfed in historical distortion and verification controversies, featuring scenes of Chinese-style tea ceremonies, the proclamation of 'Cheonse' by vassal states during Prince Lee An's (played by Byun Woo-seok) coronation ceremony, and characters wearing 'Guryumyeon-gwan' (a hat signifying a vassal, a subordinate of the emperor).

Subsequently, the production team apologized, stating, "We are taking seriously the viewers' criticism that our work undermines Korea's sovereign status. This incident occurred because the production team failed to carefully examine how Joseon's etiquette changed throughout history."

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*This content was translated by AI.