In the 11th episode of ’21st Century Daegun Buin’ aired on the 15th, the coronation of Prince Ian (played by Byeon Woo-seok) was featured. In the scene, the king wore the ‘Guryu Myeonryugwan’, which corresponds to the formality of a vassal state during the Joseon Dynasty, and officials shouted ‘Cheonse’ instead of ‘Manse’.
Netizens pointed out that although the drama established an independent world-view where Korea is a ’21st-century constitutional monarchy’, it depicted the etiquette of a vassal state that once served China.
Since the show is broadcast worldwide via global OTT platforms, there were concerns that it could give international viewers a distorted perception of history.
The production team apologized, stating, “We failed to carefully examine how Joseon’s etiquette changed throughout history,” and promised to fully revise the audio and subtitles in future reruns, VOD, and OTT services.
’21st Century Daegun Buin’ has faced consistent issues regarding historical accuracy. Specifically, critics noted that in a constitutional monarchy, the next king should receive parliamentary approval or follow legal regulations, which was not shown. Other points included calling the Prince’s wife ‘Gunbuin’ instead of ‘Bubuin’, the Prince acting as regent despite the presence of the Queen Dowager, and a scene where the Queen Dowager knelt to apologize to the Prince.
Now, viewers are looking forward to Director Park Joon-hwa’s finale interview. Since lead actors IU, Byeon Woo-seok, Noh Sang-hyun, and Gong Seung-yeon have no scheduled interviews, Director Park Joon-hwa will be representing the production.
Given the massive buzz surrounding the drama, questions about the controversies and errors have become an unavoidable challenge. Attention is focused on what Director Park Joon-hwa will say regarding the process of building the show’s world-view and the failures in historical research.
Meanwhile, ’21st Century Daegun Buin’ has captured both ratings and popularity despite the noise. The 11th episode aired yesterday hit a series high of 13.5% (Nielsen Korea nationwide). It also ranked 3rd globally in the Disney+ Top 10 TV shows category and 1st in the non-English category (according to FlixPatrol), maintaining a top position since its premiere. It has also held the 1st place in TV-OTT drama buzzworthiness according to Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex since the first episode.
The final episode will air on the 16th at 9:40 PM.
