MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama ’21st Century Daegunbuin’ is currently caught in a historical distortion controversy, and actor Lee Jae-won has cancelled his scheduled finale interview.
A representative from Lee Jae-won’s agency, Studio Uhu, stated on the 18th, “We are deeply aware of the current public opinion and the situation surrounding the work.” They added, “In this situation, we felt that the actor conducting a personal interview would be sensitive and could potentially cause trouble for the entire production and the viewers.”
The agency continued, “The actor is also viewing the situation with a heavy heart as a member of the production. After comprehensively considering various circumstances, it seems unavoidable that this interview cannot proceed.” They asked for the reporters’ kind understanding.
In ’21st Century Daegunbuin’, Lee Jae-won played the role of Seong Tae-joo, the eldest son of Castle Group and the half-brother of Seong Hee-joo (IU). While the drama, which ended on the 16th, recorded a peak viewership rating of 13.8%, it remained under fire throughout its run due to historical inaccuracies and controversies regarding some cast members’ acting skills.
Amidst this atmosphere, lead actors including IU and Byeon Woo-seok did not participate in finale interviews. Lee Jae-won was the only cast member who had confirmed an interview schedule, but he ultimately decided to cancel as the controversy expanded to include historical distortion and the Northeast Project.
Below is the full official statement from Studio Uhu.
Hello. This is PD Jo Yeon-soo from Studio Uhu.
We are deeply aware of the current public opinion and the situation surrounding the work. In this situation, we felt that the actor conducting a personal interview would be sensitive and could potentially cause trouble for the entire production and the viewers.
The actor is also viewing the situation with a heavy heart as a member of the production, and after comprehensively considering various circumstances, it seems unavoidable that this interview cannot proceed.
We ask for the reporters’ kind understanding.
