MBC has been silent over the historical distortion controversy surrounding Perfect Crown, and instead of apologizing scheduled a full-series marathon. Before the controversy had even subsided, it pushed ahead with the marathon instead of an apology, drawing fierce criticism.
According to the MBC ON channel schedule on May 24, the full series of Perfect Crown (written by Yoo Ji-won, directed by Park Jun-hwa) was scheduled from 10:30 a.m. that day until 1:10 a.m. the next day. A full-series marathon was scheduled so viewers could watch only Perfect Crown for about 14 hours and 40 minutes.
MBC ON is a channel operated by MBC Plus, a subsidiary of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), and mostly airs reruns of dramas and entertainment shows that were broadcast on MBC or schedules programming focused on cultural content.
However, there are criticisms that the timing of Perfect Crown's scheduling is problematic. Perfect Crown, which ended on the 16th with a peak rating of 13.8% (Nielsen Korea), was plagued by noise over historical distortion as it approached its finale.
With one episode left, the scene in which Prince Iaan (played by Byeon Woo-seok), who ascended the throne, wore a crown of gyeonmyo and his officials shouted "cheonse" became problematic. In response, the production team posted on the official website on the day of the finale, "We sincerely bow our heads and apologize for causing concern due to issues with the worldbuilding setting and historical verification," and edited the contested parts.
But after the finale the fallout continued, and starting with lead actors IU and Byeon Woo-seok, director Park Jun-hwa and writer Yoo Ji-won belatedly apologized. Yoo Ji-won acknowledged, "Under the imagination that the Joseon royal family continued firmly into modern times, I wanted to show our traditions and beauty. However, in applying Joseon etiquette to the modern era and depicting a fictional modern royal household, thorough research and verification were lacking."
Although the actors, director and writer issued official apologies and statements, the controversy did not easily die down. From the possibility of reclaiming drama subsidies to issues with published script books and OTT channel subtitles and edits, the controversy remains central. As a result of this controversy, Gong Seung-yeon's remarks about the work were entirely edited out of the cable channel tvN program You Quiz on the Block that aired on the 20th.
The problem is MBC's attitude. MBC had high expectations and confidence in the work, with even the president attending the Perfect Crown press conference. But when the controversy arose, it pushed responsibility onto the actors and production staff and has not shown a responsible stance. Amid this, it scheduled a full-series marathon of a work at the center of controversy, an incomprehensible decision that is amplifying criticism.
[Photo] Provided by MBC.
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