Perfect Crown: Team of South Korean drama apologises for historical distortion

The romantic-comedy South Korean drama Perfect Crown starring IU and Byeon Woo Seok has garnered widespread acclaim and broken multiple streaming records. However, the series had recently sparked controversy for the historical distortion in certain parts, which has led to an apology from the team. Moreover, the upcoming scriptbook of the series has also been planned to be revised.

Details of historical distortion of show Perfect Crown

The production team of the MBC (written by Yu Ji-won, directed by Park Jun Hwa and Bae Hwa Young, planned by Kang Dae Sun, and produced by MBC and Kakao Entertainment) issued an apology on the 16th through the official website, stating, “We sincerely apologise to all who have watched the drama with affection for causing concern over issues related to world-building and historical accuracy."

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“We have taken to heart the viewers' criticism that the scene depicting the king wearing a ‘Guryumyeonryugwan’ and subjects chanting ‘Cheonse’ during the coronation ceremony undermines Korea’s sovereign status.” They explained, “This issue arose because the production team failed to carefully examine how Joseon’s protocols evolved throughout history,” the production team said.

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'Perfect Crown’ is both a romance and an alternate history drama. While the intersection of the fictional world and real historical contexts required careful and in-depth consideration, we lacked the effort to refine the world-building and scrutinise details more thoroughly. We humbly accept the viewers’ criticism and will promptly correct the audio and subtitles of the relevant scenes in future rebroadcasts and VOD and OTT services. We once again deeply apologise for any inconvenience caused," the team stated.

Moving forward, the production team will strive to create works that repay the trust of our viewers with a greater sense of responsibility.”

Which episode of Perfect Crown led to controversy?

As per reports, in a scene in episode 15, reportedly, an emperor (king) of an independent nation is wearing a ‘Guryumyeonryugwan’—a crown symbolising a vassal lord—rather than the ‘Sibiilryugwan’ with 12 strands of jewels, and subjects are chanting ‘Cheonse’ (used when a vassal state is subordinate to an empire) instead of ‘Manse’ (the symbol of an independent nation). This sparked debates over historical distortion and the Northeast Project.

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After the controversy escalated, the rebroadcast of Episode 11 on the afternoon of the 16th omitted the chanting of "Cheonse", drawing attention.

All about Perfect Crown

Perfect Crown is set in an alternate-reality modern-day South Korea that operates as a constitutional monarchy. The 12-episode drama follows Seong Hui-ju (IU), an ambitious chaebol heiress and commoner, and Grand Prince I-an (Byeon Woo-seok), who navigate political intrigue and forge a strategic contract marriage.

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The show is helmed by Park Joon-hwa, best known for directing massive hits like Alchemy of Souls and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? It also features Gong Seung Yeon, Yoo Su Bin, Lee Yeon and Chae Seo An. The series originally aired on the MBC network and is available to stream on platforms like Disney+ in select regions.