IU, Byeon Woo Seok apologize for 'Perfect Crown' historical inaccuracies
MANILA, Philippines — The cast and crew behind Korean drama "Perfect Crown" issued an apology following backlash over alleged historical inaccuracies depicted in the series.
The show follows Byeon Woo-seok as Grand Prince I-an, who is embroiled in a power struggle with other members of the royal family. He signs a marriage of convenience with IU's Sung Hui-ju — the heir to one of Korea's largest conglomerates.
"But as the pair work together to advance their own ends, emotions begin to flare and things don’t go quite as smoothly as planned," goes a logline.
In this fictional universe, modern-day Korea is a constitutional monarchy; however, the show's penultimate episode made it appear as if Korea was a subordinate of China.
The episode shows Woo-seok's character crowned as the new king with a "guryumyeonryugwan," a crown often worn by feudal lords serving an emperor, whereas leaders of independent nations would have donned a twelve-tasseled crown or "shipimyeonryugwan."
Additionally, the new ruler's subjects shouted a term used by subordinate states rather than of independent nations.
The backlash led to the "Perfect Crown" team issuing an apology on May 16, the finale release date, acknowledging the criticism that the show undermined the sovereign status of Korea.
Both IU and Woo-seok also released statements in Korean on their respective social media accounts addressing the issue.
IU said she read the comments left by viewers and as the show's lead admitted failing to "show a responsible attitude and ended up causing great disappointment," apologizing for her participation without verifying the historical facts being depicted.
"Because this was a drama in which it was important to convey imagination grounded in our own history and the traditional beauty of Korea," IU continued. "I should have read the script more carefully and studied more as an actor, but I did not, and I am ashamed of myself for that. I did not have a proper sense of the issues in advance. I apologize."
The singer-actress thanked those for watching the series until the finale and coming forward with their valid complaints, promising to be cautious and thorough going forward.
Woo-seok began his statement addressing those who reacted negatively that he pondered what to say in order not to inflict further damage.
He also acknowledged not taking into account while shooting the project the historical context and how it would be received.
"Through the words of the viewers, I have been led to reflect and look back on myself," Woo-seok said. "As an actor I have once again deeply taken to heart that I need to approach my work with greater responsibility — considering not only the acting but also the message and context carried by the production."
The actor reiterated his apologies and thanked those who watched the show and addressed its pitfalls. He ended, " Going forward, I will become an actor who takes on projects with an even more cautious and thoughtful attitude."
Ahead of the final two episodes' release, "Perfect Crown" became Disney+'s most-viewed Korean title premiere of all time globally and outside of the Asia-Pacific region.
Based on views after 28 days of streaming, the series reached 43 million hours streams globally and achieved week-over-week growth, with the eighth episode obtaining a 43% increase in views from the April 10 premiere (based on seven days of views).
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