The buzzy drama ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ is ending on a bittersweet note as the production team apologized for ongoing controversies on the very day of its finale.
Set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy in Korea, ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ is a romance about overcoming social status, featuring a frustrated chaebol woman who is merely a commoner and a sad prince who can’t possess anything.
The series was the 2022 winner of the MBC drama script contest, which previously produced hits like ‘Watchman’, ‘Extraordinary You’, ‘The Veil’, ‘The Red Sleeve’, and ‘Doubt’. It garnered massive attention from the production stage thanks to a star-studded cast including Byeon Woo-seok, IU, Gong Seung-yeon, and Noh Sang-hyun.
In an unusual feat, IU and Byeon Woo-seok both ranked 1st and 2nd in buzzworthiness even before the show premiered.
Living up to the hype, ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ started with a 7.8% rating and hit double digits (11.1%) by episode 4. Episode 11, which aired yesterday, reached a series high of 13.5%.
However, it also became a topic of conversation for the wrong reasons, with critics pointing out a lack of plausibility in its constitutional monarchy setting, disappointing acting compared to previous works, and historical inaccuracies.
Despite this, ratings continued to climb, and it made history as the first K-drama to maintain a long-term hit streak for 29 days on Disney+ in the US (as of May 11, 2026).
After relying on its popularity to quiet the noise, ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ finally bowed its head on the day of the final episode.
The show was swept up in a historical distortion controversy after viewers spotted multiple errors during Grand Prince Ian’s (Byeon Woo-seok) coronation in episode 11.
Despite being an independent nation in the 21st century, officials shouted “Cheonse” (a term used by vassal states) instead of “Manse.” Additionally, viewers noted that the crown with 9 strings, rather than 12, is typically worn by the kings of vassal states.
As the online backlash grew, other world-building errors resurfaced, such as the title “Gunbuin” used for Seong Hee-joo (IU) and the regency of the Grand Prince instead of the Queen Dowager. The scene where the Queen Dowager knelt before the Grand Prince also left viewers shocked.
On the 16th, the production team apologized via their official website, stating, “We sincerely apologize for causing concern regarding the world-building settings and historical research issues. We take the viewers’ points about damaging our country’s sovereign status very seriously.”
Adding that they failed to carefully examine the changes in Joseon etiquette, the team announced, “We will correct the audio and subtitles in reruns, VOD, and OTT services as quickly as possible.”
However, viewers remain frustrated, arguing that audio and subtitle edits cannot fix visual historical errors and that the team failed to provide explanations for all the points raised.
With ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ being a global hit, there are growing concerns that incorrect information is being spread worldwide.
