Korean history lecturer Choi Tae-sung has apologized to the actors involved in the historical distortion controversy surrounding the drama ’21세기 대군부인’, while stressing the urgent need for a system to prevent such errors.
On the 19th, Choi shared a lengthy post on his SNS, stating, “I want to apologize to the actors who may have been hurt by the post I uploaded yesterday. My heart ached after seeing IU’s SNS post and Actor Byeon’s handwritten letter.”
In the post, Choi expressed concern over the excessive criticism directed at the actors, noting, “I wrote that we need to reorganize the system so this doesn’t happen again, but it seems the backlash is hitting the wrong people.” He added, “Even I sometimes get confused by historical terms. It is too much to demand that actors understand such professional terminology and complex situations.”
He further explained, “The historical verification system should be like a strong suit of armor protecting the actors, but because it is often too loose and unstable, actors end up becoming scapegoats. That is why I proposed the alternative of a historical verification research institute. This is the only way to ensure our beloved actors don’t face such distressing situations again.”
He emphasized that such a system would “protect the writer’s imagination, the director’s vision, and the actor’s performance,” ultimately allowing K-dramas to bring even more healing and emotion to viewers around the globe.
Below is the full text of Choi Tae-sung’s SNS post:
“I apologize to the actors who may have been hurt by the post I uploaded yesterday. My heart ached after seeing IU’s SNS post and Actor Byeon’s handwritten letter.”
“I wrote that we need to reorganize the system so this doesn’t happen again, but it seems the backlash is hitting the wrong people. Even I sometimes get confused by historical terms. It is too much to demand that actors understand such professional terminology and complex situations. The historical verification system should be like a strong suit of armor protecting the actors, but because it is often too loose and unstable, I wrote that we should stop making actors scapegoats and proposed a historical verification research institute. This is the only way to ensure our beloved actors don’t face such distressing situations again.”
“Instead of attacking individuals, I hope we can gather our wisdom to build a more robust verification system. I also ask that the National Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism allocate some of their budgets toward this. I hope that when actors sign contracts, the details of who provided the historical verification, where it came from, and to what extent it was done become key conditions for selecting a project. I also urge production teams to provide appropriate funding and time to verification research institutes. These institutes should provide safe and verified databases based on systematic research to help build the worlds that movies and dramas require.”
“Only then can the writer’s imagination, the director’s vision, and the actor’s performance be protected. Only then can Korea’s K-dramas provide greater healing and emotion to people across the globe.”
“I am posting this as someone who cherishes and enjoys K-dramas.”
