"Perfect Crown" ended its 12-episode run. However, its finale coincided with the spread of serious allegations of historical distortion, leading to a dishonorable exit.
On the 16th, the final episode of MBC's Friday-Saturday drama "Perfect Crown" aired. In that broadcast, it concluded with a happy ending for Grand Prince IAAN (Byeon Woo-seok) and Seong Hee-ju (IU), who abolish constitutional monarchy and live an ordinary life as a married couple. However, as the series approached its finale, controversy over historical distortion surrounding "Perfect Crown" drew greater attention and noise continued.
So far, "Perfect Crown" has drawn complaints from some viewers for somewhat flimsy plausibility and settings. There were criticisms that the background for Korea becoming a constitutional monarchy in the 21st century lacked justification, and some even speculated, "Has Korea become an imperialist country?" The reason was that the caste-like elements borrowed in the drama resembled the current Japanese imperial household more than the Joseon dynasty.
In the actual Joseon royal family, the queen dowager who gave birth to the king held a higher status than a grand prince. But despite the presence of dowager Yoon I-rang (Gong Seung-yeon), the fact that Grand Prince IAAN is acting as regent for the young king Lee Yun (Kim Eun ho), and the scene where Yoon I-rang kneels before IAAN and begs, have been pointed out as things that could never occur in a constitutional monarchy in Korea rooted in the Joseon dynasty.
Meanwhile, after episode 11 aired, controversy over Northeast Project claims spread. In IAAN's coronation, he shouted the word "cheonse" used when a vassal state is subordinated to an emperor rather than the independence-affirming "manse," and while the emperor (king) of an independent country would wear a "siplemyun crown" with 12 strings of jewels, IAAN wore a "guryumyeon crown," which signifies a lord subordinate to the emperor—these points became problematic.
Earlier, King Gojong in 1897 proclaimed an empire, changed the national name to the Korean Empire and proclaimed himself emperor. Although "Perfect Crown" is a parallel world diverging from reality since King Jeongjo's time when Munhyo became crown prince, if the country is an independent state, it would be appropriate to use the title "emperor," not "king," as the Korean Empire did. But "Perfect Crown" assumes from its honorifics that Korea is a vassal state under Chinese rule. This is a fatal error that stems from clumsily importing Joseon-era settings.
Netizens expressed concern that portraying Korea as if it claimed to be a vassal state could give the wrong impression that Korean history was a subject nation of another country. Furthermore, reactions arose suggesting that Seong Hee-ju following Chinese-style tea ceremony methods and refusing to wear hanbok might be intentional attempts to denigrate Korea's history.
As the controversy spread, the producers of "Perfect Crown" issued an official statement and apologized. Through the official website, the production team said, "We sincerely bow and apologize to the many people who watched the drama with affection for causing concern over the world-building settings and historical verification issues," and added that "the issue arose because the production team did not carefully examine how Joseon's etiquette changed over history."
They continued, ""Perfect Crown" is a romance and also an alternative history drama, and while careful, in-depth consideration was needed for the parts where the fictional world and real historical context intersect, we lacked effort to refine the world-building precisely and to examine it more thoroughly. We humbly accept viewers' rebukes, and we will correct the audio and subtitles of those parts as quickly as possible in reruns, VOD and OTT services. We apologize again for causing discomfort to viewers. Going forward, our production team will take greater responsibility and do our best to produce works that repay viewers' trust," they bowed.
Along with this, the audio shouting "cheonse" was removed from the episode 11 rerun that aired on the afternoon of the 16th. Also, the upcoming published script book for "Perfect Crown" will have some expressions revised. Publisher O'FAN HOUSE Co. posted a notice on the 16th saying, "Regarding the drama 'Perfect Crown,' we are discussing with the production team the official announcement and the preannounced revisions to certain ceremonial expressions," and added, "the publisher takes this matter seriously and will provide a separate notice to customers who preordered the first edition, and will apply the revisions to later printings."
However, because the first edition production and shipment have already proceeded, "for customers who purchased the first edition, from Monday, May 18, the publisher's official Instagram account will provide a digital correction page (PDF) reflecting the corrections agreed with the production team for 'Perfect Crown,' and we will provide a Google form for applying for physical correction stickers along with the download link. The physical correction stickers will be made in a form that can be affixed to the book and will be sent to readers who apply," and "if you wish to request a refund, you may do so according to the rules and procedures of the retailer where you purchased it," the publisher said.
Despite these follow-up measures, public sentiment remained cold. There were already errors in the overall settings, and since the series was distributed through a global OTT, merely correcting the single expression "cheonse" would not solve the problem. That is why calls to "cancel" it are growing. Ultimately, "Perfect Crown," backed by a huge production budget of 30 billion won and a glamorous casting lineup, succeeded at the box office with double-digit ratings and a record on Disney+ as "the most-watched Korean series worldwide," but behind that success it faced a bitter exit tainted with labels of "historical distortion" and "Northeast Project."<
[photo] MBC
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