From Disney+ hit to historical controversy: What went wrong with ‘Perfect Crown’?

Posters for "Perfect Crown," left, and "Joseon Exorcist" / Courtesy of MBC and SBS

The controversy surrounding MBC drama “Perfect Crown” is continuing to grow even after the series finale, with historians and public figures criticizing what they describe as repeated historical distortions in Korean fantasy dramas.

The series, originally titled “21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife” in Korean, ended May 16 with its highest viewership rating at 13.8 percent. It also found major global success on Disney+, where it reportedly became the most-watched Korean series worldwide within a month of its release.

But instead of celebrating the ratings, online discussion has increasingly focused on alleged historical inaccuracies and symbolism viewed by some as diminishing Korea’s sovereignty.

A scene from "Crown Prince" / Courtesy of MBC

The backlash became so intense that lead actors IU and Byeon Woo-seok posted public apologies on their personal social media accounts.

Director Park Joon-hwa also addressed the criticism during a post-finale interview on Tuesday.

“The writer has been struggling a lot,” Park said. “They regret causing discomfort to viewers and have been having a difficult time.”

The drama is set in an alternate version of modern Korea, operating under a constitutional monarchy. While many viewers initially treated the show as a romance fantasy rather than a serious historical work, criticism intensified because previous alternate history dramas typically included explanations for how Korea’s monarchy survived into modern times.

Critics said “Perfect Crown” failed to establish a convincing fictional timeline despite diverging from real Korean history roughly 200 years earlier.

Byeon Woo-seok, left, and IU / Xportsnews

The biggest controversy erupted during a coronation scene involving Grand Prince Ian, played by Byeon.

Viewers pointed out that the royal costume and ceremonial language used in the scene resembled protocols historically associated with tributary states subordinate to imperial China, rather than those of an independent empire.

Prominent Korean history teacher Choi Tae-sung also criticized the production team publicly.

“I hope producers respect historians,” he said online. “Why are they willing to spend hundreds of millions of won on actors’ appearance fees but reluctant to spend even a fraction of that on historical research?”

Professor Seo Kyung-duk similarly warned that the controversy could provide material for China’s controversial “Northeast Project,” a state-backed historical research initiative long criticized in Korea for allegedly attempting to appropriate Korean history and culture.

As the backlash grows, many Korean viewers are comparing it to the SBS drama “Joseon Exorcist,” which was canceled in 2021 after just two episodes following massive criticism over alleged historical distortions.

At the time, sponsors rapidly withdrew support, local governments halted production cooperation and SBS issued public apologies before canceling the series entirely.

Some online critics are now accusing MBC of hypocrisy, pointing out that the broadcaster harshly criticized “Joseon Exorcist” in news coverage at the time while remaining relatively quiet about the controversy surrounding its own drama.

The renewed backlash has also fueled debate over whether Korean broadcasters will continue producing fantasy historical dramas — particularly alternate history stories involving the Joseon monarchy — at a time of growing public sensitivity toward historical representation.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.