PD and Screenwriter of Perfect Crown Also Apologize for Historical Distortion Controversy But Netizen Criticism of IU and Byun Woo Seok Doesn’t Die Down
If you asked me whether I had K-drama Perfect Crown on my bingo card of results ending in the biggest K-drama controversy in years then I would have precognition and should go pick stocks instead and make millions. This outcome was nowhere on any possibility of happening and now it’s here it’s not going away that quickly or easily with apologies. The drama’s final few episodes got hit with historical distortion complaints and worse yet the distortion was in details that lessened Korean royal dynasty to details used during its time as a tributary state to the Qing dynasty. Ooomph, Korean national and ethic pride is sacrosanct and this is not to be taken likely, as the entire drama and cast of cancelled in two episodes saguek Joseon Exorcist can relate. This week the PD and screenwriter of Perfect Crown individually apologized, with the PD taking responsibility for the filming detail mistakes and also earlier complaints about leads IU and Byun Woo Seok‘s acting saying he directed them to act exactly the way they did onscreen. The screenwriter said it was her lack of historical research that led to this and will do better in the future as a writer. But so far this has not lessened the blowback on IU and Byun Woo Seok online with netizens and even some commentators, the reason being as leads they are paid the most, are the face of the drama and when it succeeds both get all the rewards and praise so they should also take the hit when there are issues. And the bottom line is, netizens don’t like the shirking of responsibility, saying as leads they also have a duty to pay attention to what they are filming and speak out and spot issues rather than blindly and ignorantly just film whatever is handed to them.
So, rather than going by angry, aggressive, just looking for a fight netizen comments, I read an article in a proper newspaper about this. The following comment caught my attention:
“Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University and an outspoken advocate of Korean Culture and history, on Tuesday expressed “deep concern” toward the issue.
Historical dramas released through global streaming platforms are watched by viewers around the world, meaning productions must not only ensure accurate historical research but also carefully consider ongoing historical distortion efforts by neighbouring countries, he said.”
Well, my response to that is unprintable, here, I’m pretty certain, so I’ll go with something else instead. Where are we heading to in the future with regard to this kind of (increasingly) online reaction to content of films, dramas, theatre, radio,etc., and its impact on future productions?
All I see is more and more restrictions/censorship,a reduction in projects that aren’t ‘safe’.
The actual government of South Korea came out with a statement after the Joseon Exorcist/Snowdrop ‘distorting history’ controversies saying that they extend the freedom of artistic licence and creativity to all works, that was five years ago.
and a self-appointed “outspoken advocate of Korean culture and history” calling a drama with an alternate-universe Korean constitutional monarchy setting a “historical drama” takes the cake. Just because they’re wearing hanbok in some scenes doesn’t make it a sageuk or even ‘historical’!
Glad and relieved to read the government statement, wasn’t aware of it, haven’t been watching K and Cdramas all that long. Though that they deemed it necessary to issue it at that time speaks volumes. Have seen some Snowdrop episodes but didn’t finish the series. Haven’t seen the episodes of Joseon Exorcist that were released, but will seek them out. I hate that programmes are cancelled in such a way.
One thing I find fascinating about Chinese productions is how well they do despite the heavy restrictions and censorship but at least that is forced on them by the government, not a mass of angry, aggressive busy body netizens. China has that problem, too. I guess everywhere has, increasingly.
My one other posting on this on one of the other threads about it was bemusement at the fake modern day monarchy scenario being attacked for historical – customs, costume, etc., ‘inaccuracies’. I hope that this is just another silly, busybody netizen-fueled storm in a teacup that will pass and not actually impact on content of future drama productions.
Pls just go away already. The drama has ended, it was mediocre. Stop beating a dead horse and mediaplaying all these things to keep being in the news. Everything about this drama from the main leads to the writing to the plot to the 1001+ articles crying about some mundane crap in the drama no one cares about is super annoying. Yes we get it, it was big budget but ended up flopping, so just take the L and gtfo of our faces. There are other interesting shows n actors to focus on.
Lmao why so angry? If content about this drama is making you this mad, maybe ignore them? It’s that easy lol.
Also, maybe tell that to stupid KNetz who keep asking the production, cast, crew, and staff to apologize? It’s not them mediaplaying, it’s just that the production will be dragged to hell and back if they didn’t apologize.
How did your mind even go to mediaplay? Absolutely no one is benefitting from this controversy. But then again, you hate IU, so of course you’re talking sht lmao
Those who care about historical accuracy just go watch documentaries on History channel. lmao.
so now actors in a drama that involves them wearing hanbok even in a fantasy modern world, are expected to be experts in fine points of historical costuming, props and dialogue (in a style that’s no l in addition to paying attention to their acting? And be unofficial script consultants too? And experts in geopolitics?
I can remember The King (Kim Eunsook’s flop drama) being caught in controversy for using Japanese imagery, Mr Queen (a fantasy drama about a body swap) also getting into similar “distorting history” trouble and of course the Joseon Exorcist fiasco…. of the three, the last is the only one that really resulted in lasting trouble or backlash for the actors involved because the whole thing got cancelled.
This is starting to remind me of the current and ongoing controversy over Olivia Rodrigo wearing short babydoll dresses as a stage outfit – entirely stupid.
Absolutely, both of these controversies are just nothingburger tbh. It’s like asking for historical accuracy from like Goong or something. I just don’t get it!
As for the Olivia thing, babydoll dresses have been a thing since forever (I actually associate them with 1960s fashion icons and actresses), and suddenly, Gen Zs are making them out to be some kind of “problematic” piece of clothing.
Again, I agree, both nothingburger issues lmao
For me it’s 90s music icons, one of whom (Courtney Love) actually expressed support for Olivia in this whole controversy. Courtney used to dress in that style as a rebellious statement and even as far back as the 90s, disliked the name that a male journalist gave it (not going to print it here).
No surprise she’s annoyed that the same thing is happening to another young female musician who was just doing her own interpretation/homage. It’s ridiculous how women can’t wear anything without being morally policed for it. Dress in a covered-up style and people assume “oh she must be a tradwife/hate gays and racist”. Wear a short or revealing dress and it’s “she must be trying to show off that she’s skinny/she’s problematic because of how pervy men might see it”. Wear a babydoll dress and it’s “she’s ~problematic~ because of how pervy men might see it”…bye.
@Olesya1 – this won’t be visible until the spam filter releases it but here is a picture of Courtney from 2004: https://www.gettyimages.in/detail/news-photo/musician-courtney-love-is-photographed-for-blender-in-2004-news-photo/76425363
You really think her and Olivia’s dresses are that different? Courtney wore more than one style of those dresses.
@Royal We I can barely see what she wearing at this photo to say anything about it at the first place
I don’t think Olivia’s Rodrigo controversy is stupid. Artist sometimes love to play with Lolita theme and it’s disturbing to me.
Like Sabrina Carpenter made a photoshoot completely copying scenes from Lolita film and later denied it had anything to do with it (but photo from this photoshoot literally copying scene from the movie).
@Olesya1 – Sabrina’s photoshoot was for a fashion magazine, it is equally stupid to blame the model (her) for the decisions of the magazine editors and photographer as it is to be blaming IU and BWS for the dialogues and props used in their drama. And it was what, one picture? The rest of the pictures in the same photoshoot had her styled like a fashionable young adult woman.
Olivia’s babydoll dresses are a homage to legendary 90s riot grrl musicians like Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland who invented the style and used it to make a statement by looking like very much adult women in their late 20s and 30s in these clothes, and Olivia has been a fan of Courtney Love in particular since her first album. The difference from what I can see, is that Courtney Love looked like very much an adult (she was tall, curvy and looked her adult age) while Olivia is also tall but is still in her early 20s and looks younger because of her face and body type.
I don’t believe in blaming women for being short or youthful looking, why don’t people blame the actual perverts instead of flying into a moral panic about what women (and at 23 and 26, Olivia and Sabrine are WOMEN) wear.
@Royal We
What their gender and their age has to do with it??
I know for a fact woman in her 20s who has very disgusting fantasies about kids, it’s very stupid to think it applies only to one gender
And you need to google how Courtney and Kat’s dresses looked like, and compare it to Olivia’s dress. You will spot the difference
That isn’t stupid. Hollywood is full of pedos n her dress was in appropriate
Enough is Enough! Make A Bill and put it into LAW!.
She sexualized minors in songs. She should be cancelled. A pedoo like mj
well at the very least IU’s relevance will never be in doubt, she’s almost 2 decades into her career and still getting piled on for cancellation attempts.
So u justify pedooo like her. Ewww
go take your meds thanks. Psychosis isn’t cute.
U justified baby doll dress which originates from pedo and lolita fantasies. Get off ur moral high horse creepy granniee
Outrage junkie doesn’t know that babydolls were invented in the 1940s by a woman as lingerie for adult women, what a surprise
again, take your meds <3
I feel like there were definitely legitimate reasons to be considered and upset and discourse about the implications of historical distortion should definitely be raised and debated and taken seriously, but it really sucks how people are still going after the actors even after they’ve, as the face of the drama, apologized and acknowledged what the issue was. What more do they want at this point? For everyone involved in the production to kneel at Gwanghwamun and shout Daehan Minguk Manse?
At this point, it feels like the loudest screechers are just IU and BWS-haters who have infiltrated a legitimate discussion and abused it to bully IU and BWS and won’t be appeased no matter what.
@prettyautumn – I think you are right about the remaining screeching coming from IU and BWS antis who are just looking to make more noise.
IU in particular has been the target of some politically motivated attacks after expressing her support for the rallies against the now-removed South Korean president a couple of years ago, including some truly absurd claims and conspiracy theories like her being a North Korean agent lol. But this time it looks like the paid manipulators found a fig leaf of legitimacy in the ‘distorting history’ claims and went to town trying to make it stick.
Distorting history! The writers of so called history in every country in the world have distorted it, deliberately or otherwise. Who writes history, at least the version which we seem to take as the ‘True history’? Appointed official history writers, the Victors, the propagandists, the revisionists with power?
It seems an impossible task demanding that drama makers, actresses and actors, don’t ‘distort’ when the so-called official true history also includes just that.
Plus challenging/fantasising/imagining alternatives, reinterpreting is EXACTLY what film, drama, etc., does.
The stuff they got ‘wrong’ wasn’t intentional, rather down to at worst shoddy research, ignorance. An apology should be more than sufficient. That so much kowtowing to everyone apologising, changing events etc., for who exactly I’m not sure, bothers me. Particularly over a silly FICTIONAL drama about a non-existent monarchy in modern Korea.
The ruckus just proves PC (pun intended too lol) is popular and continues to be the talk of the town after the premiere run ended. lol.