MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife” has left an indelible stain on the broadcasting industry after causing a massive historical distortion disaster.
While the production team and lead actors have been issuing a series of apologies, actress Gong Seung-yeon, who was once considered the sole beneficiary of the show, is now feeling the heat of the backlash. It seems her moment of glory has been cut short.
Actress Gong Seung-yeon, who is experiencing her career peak after 15 years since her debut, will appear as a guest on tvN’s variety show “You Quiz on the Block” tonight, May 20, at 8:45 PM.
The cause is the controversy over the infringement of national sovereignty that erupted in episode 11 of “21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife.” Public sentiment turned sharply after a bizarre historical error occurred where the King of Joseon wore a crown signifying a vassal state while officials shouted “ten thousand years.”
For Gong Seung-yeon, who had risen as the “biggest beneficiary” by receiving praise for her acting amidst the acting risks of leads IU and Byeon Woo-seok, this is a complete bolt from the blue.
In a previously released preview for “You Quiz,” Gong Seung-yeon cheerfully shared her thoughts on the show’s success, saying, “I wanted to hop on the IU and Byeon Woo-seok train,” and the captions celebrated her “peak after 15 years.”
However, as the controversy grew uncontrollable, the “You Quiz” production team removed specific mentions of the drama from the official press release distributed on the day of the broadcast.
This urgent change in attitude by “You Quiz” shows the sheer weight of the “Grand Prince’s Wife” situation. On the 18th, leads IU and Byeon Woo-seok hurriedly posted apologies stating their “lack of script study,” followed by Director Park Jun-hwa’s tearful apology to reporters on the 19th, and a delayed apology from writer Yoo Ji-won.
With top stars who received hundreds of millions of won in appearance fees and key production staff bowing their heads, it would have been a huge risk for a variety show to air someone celebrating their success while using a fictional history as a shield.
Being a star is not a free pass. It remains to be seen if the “sister Jeongyeon marketing” chosen by Gong Seung-yeon and “You Quiz” will come across as sincere to the public. The touching bond between the sisters, where Gong Seung-yeon frequently visited the dorm and took care of Jeongyeon at her own home while Jeongyeon was battling Cushing’s syndrome, is certainly an emotional point.
However, some are watching closely to see if this risk management—cutting out traces of the controversial work for the sake of buzz and shifting the mood to an emotional appeal—will be seen as another attempt to deceive the public.
Gong Seung-yeon’s appearance on “You Quiz” is proceeding amidst the controversy. Whether she can erase the dark shadow of historical distortion from “Grand Prince’s Wife” and fully protect the career peak she found after 15 years will be put to a strict test by viewers tonight.
